Why He Chose To Stay
by Qatari-Penguin
Summary: Hiei's always liked competitions, but when the prize is something he can't even admit he wants it's hard to gather the courage to enter. And then a new, more dangerous, player enters the game, and now there's no choice of backing down.
1. Swords and Tears

**Disclaimer:** Yu Yu Hakusho is not mine, you know the drill.

Title: "Why He Chose to Stay"

Chapter One: Swords and Tears

* * *

The familiar sound of thunder crackled in the hazy purple sky. Immediately following it was a forked bolt of lightning that brightly illuminated the sky before fading away. The storms were commonplace, but not near as much so as before Raizen's death, when they shook the grounds and rattled even the strongest fortresses. Then they had reflected the struggle of power between the three kingdoms of Demon World, but since then the kingdoms had been unified and an omnipotent ruler crowned. The three former rulers had retreated to the shelter of their palaces, were they remained quietly. 

In one of the former fortresses a small demon padded silently down a deserted hallway, his cloak swishing behind him. His crimson eyes flashed in turn at each of the torches that lit the hallway, and by his will they went out. The demon had always preferred darkness; most of his life had been spent in it. Despite the darkness he was able to see perfectly and walked without fear of colliding with either the walls or other demons. His footsteps were silent, the only noise his light breathing and the occasional sound of his sword brushing against his leg.

His acute senses detected the presence of another, and he stopped, glaring through the shadows. He knew who the demon was that approached him, and at the moment he didn't want to face her. It was too late to mask his energy and hide his presence so he stood defiantly in the center of the hallway as she stopped as well, meeting his eyes with a small smile. Neither said anything.

Suddenly the torches on the walls flared to life, and Hiei stared into Mukuro's amber eyes through the newfound light. She looked smug, he decided, and unconsciously he found himself looking her over. From her shoulder-length orange hair, combed to the side, to side of her body he knew was mechanical, then back to her eyes, especially to her right, which wasn't human. Why he found himself doing this he had no idea and silently berated himself for such a thing. She had such a feminine body; he found it impossible to believe he had thought her a male when he'd first met her, before she had revealed the truth of her identity to him. Suddenly Hiei realized what he was thinking and mentally slapped himself.

Mukuro smirked at her accomplice and raised as curious eyebrow at the frustrated look on his face, something she didn't think had to do with suddenly encountering her in the hallway. There was something about the way Hiei was looking at her that interested her and made her wonder briefly what he was thinking. Well, she could always find out.

She had been staring straight into his eyes for several moments before Hiei suspected what was happening and looked away quickly. He didn't dare look back up at her, fearing she had discovered what he was thinking. Apart from most likely killing him on the spot, he knew he would never hear the end of it in Hell. Angrily he closed his thoughts and looked up defiantly, waiting for a punishment that surprisingly never came

"Why so uneasy Hiei?" she asked in her mysterious voice. Okay, maybe she didn't know what had coursed through his mind in the last few minutes, but that thought didn't improve his mood.

"You have no idea," he whispered dangerously, issuing the threat.

"Oh?" Mukuro sounded slightly eager. "You wouldn't happen to be challenging me now would you Hiei?" She couldn't keep a smile from crossing her face as the prospect of a fight loomed in her mind. She hadn't fought seriously since the tournament.

Hiei smirked. "I do believe I am," he said boldly. "That is, of course, if you accept." He left the sentence dripping with sarcasm, daring her to refuse. He knew Mukuro couldn't resist a challenge or a good fight, especially if it came from him. As though to tempt her he tugged gently at the bandage around his right arm. "When you're ready," he whispered as he passed, before vanishing into the darkness.

* * *

The wind had begun to pick up when Hiei took his place in the trees, blowing his cloak and hair in all directions. The air was cold, but it didn't affect him that evening. In fact, the only thing he could feel was the slight nervousness and excitement that came before a fight. He hadn't forgotten Mukuro was a former lord of demon world, and that title didn't come lightly. He also couldn't let himself forget that even though she would fight with him she was also the one that gave him orders and was not someone he should anger. Feeling his boss's energy, Hiei tugged off his cloak and lay it on the ground along with his katana, which he set down grudgingly. Tightening his belt and checking that his bandage was secure, Hiei waited in the clearing. 

Sure enough, a moment later Mukuro appeared through the trees, the wind ruffling her hair slightly. She'd unclasped the purple vest she wore to allow better movement, and tucked in her belt was…a pair of short swords? The fire demon did a double take, then reached down for his own blade. He'd never known she had training as a swordsman.

"Are you sure you know how to use those?" Hiei asked mockingly as she dropped the two scabbards on the ground. He drew his sword slowly, hearing it slide smoothly against the inside of the scabbard and knowing it was deadly sharp. The last of the day's light reflected in the blade as he held it loosely in his hand, waiting for his opponent to make the first move.

"I think I have a fair idea," Mukuro replied, twirling her right blade in circles. "I figured we could play by your rules for once."

Sensing the challenge that lay in her words Hiei charged, aiming a swift strike to her side. Mukuro parried his stroke easily, casting his blade wide while she aimed for his chest with her other sword. Startled but recovering quickly, Hiei leapt out of range just as the blade raked his neck. He landed a few feet away and brushed the trickle of blood from below his ear where she had nicked him. Mukuro stood casually while she watched him, her blades held loose but ready.

"You seem startled Hiei," she called, causing the fire demon's head to shoot up.

"Not hardly," he snapped, gripping his sword tighter.

"Then let's go," she said softly, and the next moment had vanished. Hiei looked up nervously and jumped when he suddenly felt her energy behind him. Spinning on his heel he brought his sword around quickly, forcing her back.

They exchanged several blows before Hiei leapt into the air, aiming for a downward attack using his unnatural speed. Watching him with a mildly amused look, Mukuro jumped up as well, smiling when she saw Hiei's startled look as she appeared above him. Unable to stop from falling, the fire demon landed on his feet but barely had time to move before he felt the cold steel of a sword against the his neck. Tipping his head back as far as the blade would allow, he glared at Mukuro.

"You're hardly one to show mercy," he said angrily as she released him and took a few steps back.

"Neither are you," Mukuro countered evenly, "but if I kill you I can only beat you once."

Her words angered him and lit a fire in his heart; a flame hungry for revenge. Swords were his element, he could defeat her easily! He was being too soft! Moving with a speed he didn't even recognize, Hiei moved in for his next attack, his blade pointing toward his feet. Recognizing the motions for an upward strike, Mukuro stepped back to avoid his stroke and smiled triumphantly, which faded immediately when she saw the demon spinning on his heel. Using the forward momentum from his previous swing, Hiei pivoted and aimed his next attack at her side, catching himself a fraction of an inch before he made contact.

"Now who's asking for mercy?" Hiei asked darkly.

The calm tone had gone from Mukuro's voice when she answered, "I never asked." Suppressed anger reflected in her eyes as she glared at the fire demon, who chuckled softly when he realized why she was mad. She didn't like getting beat at her own game. Suddenly feeling mischievously spiteful, the fire demon backed away and lowered his sword.

"I could stop holding back if you wish," Hiei said, his voice full of fake concern. "I want this fight to be worth everything it should."

Now there was no mistaking the venom in Mukuro's gaze and her energy surged. A light blue aura emitted from the blades in her hands as she slowly stepped toward him. Two could play that game, and Hiei's sword was coated in fire as he swung at her arms, but she blocked the stroke and kept advancing, forcing Hiei back.

Darkness had nearly set in, but that didn't stop either fighter as their raging match continued. Any hesitance they had was long gone, and Mukuro's true sword style was beginning to show through the casual method she had used earlier. The flowing strokes she had been attacking with had been replaced by short strikes, usually combining the range of the two blades to isolate a specific vital point on the body. It wasn't as fluid as Hiei's technique, yet surprisingly effective combined with her natural speed, and the fire demon found himself backed against a tree with Mukuro advancing.

"Shit," he whispered as he looked up at the tree. It was much too large and the trunk too wide to offer anything useful to his situation. The low, thick overhanging branches provided places he could hide but limited the height he could jump, giving him no true means of escape. "You better think of something quick," he whispered to himself just as a solution came to him.

Slowly he tried to edge around the side of the tree, freezing in his tracks as one of Mukuro's blades embedded itself in the wood inches from his face. Now she had only one weapon but had cut off one of his escape routes in the process. This was where he had to rely on his own speed.

"So Hiei," Mukuro said when she stopped in front of him, "what will you do? I doubt you'll surrender, you're not the type for it." She twirled the knife in front of his eyes to see if he would flinch; he didn't. "I won't kill you, but a nice wound might do you good."

Hiei saw her thrust as though it was in slow motion. Just as slowly he ducked out of the way, wincing as the blade grazed his arm, but it was enough. The sword slid off the curved surface of the wood and Mukuro stumbled, off-balanced by the strike. Bringing around his weapon, the fire demon pointed the sword at her heaving chest as she glared at him from the ground.

"Checkmate," he whispered, remembering the human term.

In a crackle of energy the former lord vanished, leaving her second in command to gather his scabbard and cloak silently. Hiei slid his sword away and tucked it through his belt as he fastened the cloak around his shoulders. Glancing around, he spotted the smaller pair of scabbards Mukuro used and appeared beside them, collecting them in his hand. It was best if he brought them back with him. It was foolish to transport a blade without its scabbard, but he knew Mukuro was furious after her defeat and most likely hadn't thought to grab them.

As he made his way back to the fortress, Hiei pondered over his victory. It seemed almost impossible that he could have actually beaten her, but he knew it wasn't a fluke. Neither of them had been holding back when they fought and had struck to kill, at least once Mukuro had realized it would be an even match. The fire demon's steps quickened as an idea came to him that both excited and disgusted him. Now his suspicions were starting to come to the surface, startling images playing through his head.

What if Mukuro had been favoring him on purpose? And when he had broken through her defenses it made her realize he wasn't a swordsman to be taken lightly? That would make her even angrier when he defeated her, and it explained why she didn't land her strikes. Except that last one, Hiei thought grimly, she was angry enough to injure him then.

No, that made no sense! the fire demon told himself sternly. There was nothing that would make Mukuro lose a fight on purpose; he knew the former lord well enough to know that. But she had seemed almost playful when she had challenged him in the hallway now that he thought back on it. Hiei's eyebrows shot up. That was not an emotion he'd seen from her before, not even in battle when she would toy with her opponents.

His familiar home fortress coming into sight, Hiei began to sprint. He'd succeeded in doing nothing but confusing and frustrating himself, and those were two things the demon despised. Another was being favored, and as his suspicions began to find a basis in fact his mood continued to darken. He had almost no doubt now that Mukuro hadn't been fighting him full force and he wanted terribly to know why.

Reaching the edge of the trees, Hiei jumped and landed in one of the windows in the upper level of Mukuro's fortress. Seeing no one he quickly turned down one of the halls leading inward and almost completely vanished in the darkness. That was one thing he liked about the fortress; it was almost always dark, an environment he was quite accustomed to. Cloak swirling behind him, the fire demon reached the end of the hall and stopped in front of the wall that stood before him.

Once he had defeated Shigure and claimed his position, he had been moved from the dungeon and given his own chambers near the heart of the palace. No demons but himself passed through the hallway he had just come through, and he had made sure none of the torches were ever lit. Without them and any light from the outside it was darker than any other place in the palace and he liked it that way.

Placing the palm of his hand flat against the wall, Hiei waited for a moment before taking it away. In front of him, the portion of the wall that he had touched glowed with a dark blue light before appearing semi-transparent, which was what the fire demon had waited for. Not hesitating, Hiei walked straight into the wall and felt a chill as he passed through, appearing quite calmly on the other side. Making the door activate by his demon energy had been pure genius, and the fire demon was thankful for it as he sensed the wall becoming solid once again behind him.

The fire demon surveyed his furnishings with a small feeling of satisfaction. As much as she had insisted, Hiei had refused to allow Mukuro to adorn him as she had the other high-ranking warriors in her palace. He hadn't wanted any special treatment to begin with and had taken the position almost grudgingly; it would be almost humiliating for her to indulge any more. She hadn't seemed surprised by this fact and didn't force him to change his mind as long as he did his service.

The fire demon's chambers were larger than he cared for, but that was one thing he hadn't had any input on. Contrary to the hall outside, he did keep his room faintly lit; too many nightmares and horrible memories could assault him in complete blackness when he was at his most vulnerable. The black candles he had placed around the room flared as he passed in reaction to his demon energy, fading to their normal glow as he moved farther away to the rack in the corner that kept his swords.

Hiei knelt down and slid his katana from his belt and set it on the dark wooden rack. Smiling slightly, he traced his finger over the black dragon emblazoned on the wood, the beast's body seeming to curve around his blade, its two ruby eyes at the tip. Below the dragon's legs, resting in its claws, was the long sword Mukuro had given him when he entered her service, and the fire demon picked it up gently.

Sliding the blade from its ornamented scabbard, Hiei held it in his hands, gazing at the reflection that stared back at him. His eyes traced from the white star in the base of his hair to the purple iris of his Jagan to the very faint scar on his cheek from his battle with Mukuro, where his gaze lingered. They had both fought their hardest, but with two very different motives in mind. He had cared nothing for the rule of Demon World then and certainly not now. He had fought to free her and nothing more.

Restoring the sword to its rack, Hiei crossed his room and sank slowly down onto the futon he rarely used. She has asked him if he had wanted to stay. She hadn't forced him, hadn't done anything to try and sway his decision. She simply asked him. And he had agreed. Sitting with his back to the wall, the candlelight playing over him, Hiei wondered if it had been a bad decision.

* * *

_Daylight streamed through the windows in the room where Hiei awoke. Blinking confusedly, the fire demon sat up and felt a warm fur blanket slide off him. He leaned heavily on his arm while his other hand went to his head, rubbing his temples. Where was he? He glanced around the room, noticing the wooden floors and windows that were absent in Mukuro's fortress. Now he was suspicious. Taking another quick look around his heart skipped slightly. He was in Genkai's dojo!_

_This realization sent the fire demon scrambling to his feet and he dashed to the door, sliding it back faster than was necessary. He had been right; standing in the snow in the clearing in front of the dojo was none other than Yusuke and Kuwabara, his old teammates. Both hadn't noticed him and were immersed in a heated argument about something the fire demon could only guess. They were better than no one, he decided, and grudgingly admitted that he would even consider Kuwabara worthwhile. Jumping off the steps, he approached them confidently._

_Both immediately stopped when they sensed their old partner, and Kuwabara took a step back. The assured smirk Hiei wore faltered when he saw Yusuke's brown eyes narrow into a glare. The Spirit Detective's fists had clenched and Kuwabara was watching him cautiously, looking as though he was going to sprint away at any moment. Well this wasn't exactly the welcome he had expected after being away for so long._

"_So you decided to come back huh?" Yusuke said slowly, still looking strangely murderous. "We thought you were just going to make yourself at home with her. What's the matter Hiei? The sex not good enough for you?"_

_You have no idea, the fire demon thought angrily, then berated himself that he would be thinking things like that at a time like this. "What are you trying to say?" he asked coldly, all signs of friendship gone from his voice. His crimson eyes met Yusuke's brown ones and they glared at each other for a moment. "What would make you think that I wouldn't come back?"_

"_Gee, I don't know," the teenager snapped in a high-pitched attempt at mocking the fire demon. "Maybe the fact that the only reason you even fought in the damned tournament was to free her? Maybe the fact that you agreed to stay with her in Demon World and not return?"_

"_And what would I do here?" Hiei growled. "If this taught you anything Yusuke it should be that demons don't belong in a world of humans."_

_Yusuke didn't answer and stared at a spot over the demon's shoulder. A familiar demonic energy caused Hiei to spin on his heel and come face to face with his last companion, the fox demon Kurama. For a moment the red-head simply glared at him, his emerald eyes showing no signs of familiarity. Too late Hiei realized what he has said and why Kurama was looking at him like he was. The fox demon possessed a human body and lived with his human mother in the city._

"_So you believe demons have no place in this world?" Kurama asked coldly. His arms were crossed and he smirked at Hiei's startled look. "Don't be surprised Hiei, I don't believe you couldn't foresee this when you agreed to stay. You've pledged your allegiance elsewhere."_

"_Kurama," he protested weakly. Yusuke and Kuwabara he didn't care, but he couldn't lose Kurama too. The fox was the only one he had trusted for a long time, the only person he truly felt close to. "Kurama, you know I didn't mean it like that!"_

_Kurama gave him a hardened look. "It's very hard to know what you mean anymore Hiei."_

_And behind him, Hiei could see another demon that almost brought tears to his eyes. Yukina stepped hesitantly from behind the fox demon, her crimson eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Stopping a few paces from her brother, she stared at him for a moment without speaking. She looked positively devastated and her eyes had a dead look to them. Feeling his heart jump into his throat, Hiei looked desperately at Kurama, who put his hand gently on the ice maiden's shoulder and continued to glare at the fire demon._

"_Yukina," he began softly, but she silenced him with a look._

"_Don't brother," she whispered, and Hiei's gaze snapped from his sister to the fox next to her, who shrugged lightly._

"_We told her after we returned, assuming her brother would never come back," the fox said quietly. Hiei stared at him for a moment with widened eyes before looking back at Yukina, who was crying silently. Tear gems lie on the snow by her feet, and the last restraints Hiei had on his emotions were ebbing away._

"_How could you?" she said in a whisper, her voice muffled by her tears. "How could you choose her over me?" Her head shot up and she looked directly into her brother's eyes, who seemed to shrink under her gaze. Hiei suddenly felt very aware of the tear gem that hung around his neck. "Answer me!"_

"_Yukina-" he broke off. Despair rose in his heart and he stared at the ground, feeling a large chunk of emotion forming in his throat. He couldn't bear to look at her as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Only when he heard her move closer did he dare look up._

"_You don't need this anymore," she said coldly, jerking the necklace from around his neck. The tear pulled off in her hand and she held it triumphantly. _

_Hiei stared at her in disbelief as she turned her back and walked past Kurama into the dojo. For a moment he was able to keep himself standing, but gradually the strength left the fire demon's legs and he sank to the ground, his whole body shaking with suppressed sadness and pain. Hot tears jumped from his eyes and landed in the snow as he hid his face in his arms. His breathing coming in gasps, he heard someone moving nearby and glanced up, expecting Kurama to make a smart retort about how he had always had this coming and didn't deserve to be Yukina's brother. He was surprised, however, when Mukuro stood before him._

"_Come along Hiei," she said softly and he stared at her, not comprehending what she meant. "It's time to go back to where we both belong."_

"_No!" he said forcefully, brushing the tears from his eyes as he looked at the former lord. "I was wrong, I don't belong with you!"_

"_And you think you belong here?" she questioned, causing the fire demon's head to shoot up. Though her words were harsh she was speaking softly, almost sympathetically. "It seems they don't want you here. You would be best to come home. Demon World is your home now."_

"_I don't want to go," he protested weakly, his hands closing into fists at his sides. "I don't care what you say! I don't care! I know I need to stay here and you can't stop me!" His eyes were narrowed into his familiar death glare as he met her eyes. Defiance flared in his heart and he said in a much more controlled voice, "I'm not going with you."_

"_So you'll stay with the friends that deserted you?" Mukuro asked, looking almost amused at Hiei's resolute face. "You think they would welcome you back with open arms after you abandoned them?" She knelt down and put her hand on the fire demon's shoulder, her other tipping his chin up so he was looking at her. "Hiei, they want nothing more to do with you. You have no other place to go than to return with me."_

_Slowly Hiei pulled away from her grasp and looked at the ground, the burning tears returning to his eyes. For a moment neither moved, then painfully slowly the fire demon rose to his feet, still not meeting her eyes. Mukuro smiled gently as she followed her second-in-command through the snow. She had spoken the truth and nothing more to make him see sense and it had worked. For a while the fire demon's heart would be broken, but she was prepared to help him collect the pieces. _

_With a final forlorn glance at the dojo, shimmering with snow, Hiei brushed the tears from his eyes and vanished into the darkness.

* * *

_


	2. The Game of Love

Chapter Two: The Game of Love

* * *

With a gasp the fire demon awoke, his heart doing a drum-roll in his chest. Sitting up slowly, he leaned heavily on his arm and ran his other hand through his hair, brushing the sweat from his forehead. His fingers brushed his cheek and he quickly rubbed away the wet trails from his tears. He must have been crying in his sleep, as weak and disgusting as that sounded to the fire demon. Then, almost instinctively as the memory of the dream returned to him, he reached up and his hand closed around the tear on his necklace. That determined, he stood up. 

Some of the candles had gone out while he was sleeping, no doubt from the massive flood of his emotions. With a wave of his hand they re-ignited and flared once again as he passed. Taking his katana from its rack Hiei slid it through his belt. It had become almost second nature to carry it and he wasn't lenient even in the palace. He got the frequent impression that most of the soldiers didn't like him very much. Tossing his cloak around his shoulders he stepped through the door and into the hallway outside.

The fortress was deserted, at least in Hiei's wing. A walkway went all the way around the outside of the palace, large arches like windows allowing light and a breeze. Hiei stood in one of these and leaned against the wall, staring out into the darkness. He guessed it was a few hours past midnight and knew that the presence of his energy guaranteed none of the guards would stray near. The feel of his energy disturbed him; it wasn't as forceful as normal and his emotions flowed strongly through it. Anyone that had the nerve to approach him would feel everything he was feeling, and the fire demon didn't like the sound of that at all. Nervously he glanced around, realizing how awkward of a time this would be for Mukuro to pay him a visit.

Anxiously Hiei tried to check his emotions, or at least mask them for the time being. He had become very good at this throughout his childhood and found it most useful when dealing with demons like Kurama, who seemed to notice even the slightest waver in energy. He found anger hid his true feelings best and had even developed a method for this. It used to be thinking of his upbringing, but after he went to Human World it had changed. Immediately an image of Kuwabara flitted into his head and he growled softly under his breath.

With his thoughts so focused on himself, Hiei failed to notice the two other energies nearby. One was extremely close to him, crouching just out of view. If Hiei had known he was there he would have killed him in an instant. This demon was one of the fire demon's many rivals in the palace, but for more than the usual reason of Hiei's position. No one but himself knew about the second reason, and he glared at the fire demon with narrowed cyan eyes.

He had been a high ranking demon mercenary from the time of the three kingdoms of Demon World and had been employed by Mukuro for the likely upcoming war between the kingdoms. That never happened, but the former lord had kept him in her service, though his usefulness had greatly declined. Now he trained her soldiers and elite guard to keep his swordsmanship from growing rusty. Both him and the fire demon that had become second in command refused to spar with each other after a heated dispute between them that had come to blows before Mukuro interrupted them.

Nervously he ran a hand through his red hair and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, ignoring the pain that shot through his legs. He had been walking when he turned a corner and spotted Hiei, when he immediately ducked out of sight. It was mostly his curiosity that had kept him from leaving much earlier. The fire demon seemed angry (not that this was unusual, he conceded) and he wanted desperately to know why. For a moment a hopeful thought flew through his mind but he dismissed it immediately as impossible and continued to watch the demon.

The other energy that Hiei should have sensed was much farther away and would have required more concentration to find. It was in fact another very familiar one that he would have recognized in an instant, though most likely for worse. She directly impacted his thoughts and would have angered and maybe even embarrassed him if he knew she could feel everything he was thinking.

Mukuro paced in her chambers, not really focusing on what she was doing. She could sense Hiei and the very forceful anger he was emitting. This had surprised her for a moment before she settled down and decided to investigate. Her powers were well enough developed that she could see through the mask he had on his emotions and had discovered the true reason he was awake in the middle of the night.

She herself rarely ever slept more than a few scattered hours of the night out of an age-old habit. Though she knew Hiei was the same way she had never felt him wandering the fortress at night. Usually he would sit in his chamber, lost in thoughts that she frequently tapped and listened to. Many of these didn't surprise her; recollections of his past with the ice apparitions, the few precious memories he had of his sister Yukina, the times he had spent working for Spirit World. These she had expected and found rather interesting.

But there was something else that had caught her eye in the past few weeks that she had found interesting as well. Yukina was not the only female occupying the fire demon's thoughts and she could usually detect a surge of emotion that came forward with her memory, though it was confused enough that she couldn't tell what it was. This newest dream had sparked her suspicions, but the feeling she always felt from him could be simply anger or confusion. It seemed almost impossible that Hiei could have feelings for her when he cared so little about everything else.

Hiei took a final forlorn glance at the moon before turning and starting back toward his chambers. He took a few steps before he paused, listening intently with his eyes narrowed. He recognized that energy; the distance between them nearly unnerved him. How had he allowed someone to get that close? His hand closing around the hilt of his sword, in a swirl of his cloak he vanished. Appearing around the corner a few feet away, Hiei swung sharply and felt his stroke parried hastily at the last minute. Jumping back to keep his distance, he lowered his sword but didn't sheath it.

"What are you doing here Khiva?" the fire demon growled darkly.

Knowing he'd been caught, Khiva rose to his feet and sheathed his sword. Brushing his black bangs from his eyes he smiled at Hiei, who glared in reply, still expecting an answer. "You're always so suspicious Hiei, even high ranking demons have to patrol once in a while," he said sweetly, his long fangs catching in the light.

Hiei snorted. "You can cut the shit, this isn't the first time I've caught you like this. I sincerely doubt you're that interested in what I do every day."

"On the contrary Hiei," Khiva whispered, "I'm more than interested."

Both glared at each other for a moment, Hiei still trying to digest his words. He was reminded grossly for a moment of the elder Toguro brother, always slinking around and trying to intimidate people. He didn't put it past the ferret demon in front of him either. He loathed Khiva, from his long black bangs and red hair to the leather boots he wore that Hiei knew concealed a knife at his ankle. The hem of a cloak swirled around his ankles and shadowed the armor the fire demon knew he was wearing, anymore out of habit than anything.

"So tell me why you have the nerve to keep following me?" Hiei demanded. "Nothing I do should have any meaning to you." Shouldn't, he reminded himself, but obviously does.

"Well Hiei, I happen to have the nerve because I've faced enemies much greater than yourself in the preceding to the war." He smirked as the fire demon glared and tightened his grip around his katana. Insults usually worked on Hiei. "So I think this would be more a question of motive then how I came across the ability."

Hiei didn't reply, his brain working quickly behind his emotionless eyes. So Khiva thought he had a good reason for following him. Okay, so he needed to check how he handled his free time, that sorted that out. Now the question remained as to why he was so keen to know what he was doing all the time. Did it have to do with his position? The answer to that was most likely a firm yes. Half the demons in the palace were plotting against him. They were angry about how he had gone from being a nobody in the dungeons to Mukuro's right-hand man in a few months, while they had been there for years and were still lowlifes. The fire demon smirked, that was their fault.

But that didn't apply to Khiva at all. He was a powerful demon that Hiei knew Mukuro held in regard for his skills. Though, now that he thought back on it, she had been rather distant with him lately. Did that have something to do with it? Ever since he had taken over Khiva had been given less and less leverage in the fortress. So he was jealous? Jealous of the amount of attention Mukuro had been paying her newest vassal? Hm, that idea had merits and Hiei wanted to know if it was accurate.

Khiva noticed the gleam in the fire demon's third eye and immediately closed his mind. After a frustrating moment of struggling at his defenses the fire demon gave up with a muttered curse and raised his two crimson eyes to Khiva's cyan ones. The ferret was smiling triumphantly and it infuriated Hiei, almost enough for him to disregard all self-control and attack him. At the last moment he buried that impulse and forced his voice to be calm.

"So tell me Khiva. This new fixation you have with me…if wouldn't happen to have anything to do with Mukuro would it?"

It was obvious from the temporary lapse in his smug look that Hiei had been right. So he was jealous. Jealous that Mukuro liked him more than the worthless, sneaking…Hiei's mind carried on with every insult he could think of for the demon while his heart was pounding. So Mukuro liked him the most? No, no one had ever said that, he was just jumping to conclusions with that one. But who was to say it wasn't true?

The confident air Khiva had originally was gone. He was glaring darkly at the fire demon, contemplating the easiest way to spear his head on a pike. How much had he truly given away just then? From the distant look in Hiei's eyes it was apparent he was fantasizing something, which in itself make Khiva suspicious. For most of their little chat he had remained emotionless, but for a second, when he had dropped his guard, the ferret demon had spotted an elated look in his rival's eye. He was happy that he was jealous, which could mean very few things. Either he was spiteful (he knew Hiei was) or that it threw him into better perspective with the lord (Khiva wondered why this would matter at all to the fire demon). Then something clicked.

"Well Hiei, I guess I can't say I'm flattered you're trying to make an attempt to better understand me, but I think we've both came to a conclusion. So I'll offer you this; a challenge, if you will." That caught Hiei's attention and he looked up curiously. "Now I know we're both men of honor, and the honorable way to solve a conflict such as ours would be in a duel."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. Since when had he and Khiva been in a conflict? Apart from that time I nearly ripped his head off, the fire demon admitted grudgingly, but somehow I don't think that's what he's getting at.

"At least, that would be the way, but seeing as we're in no position to do such a thing I have an alternate idea."

"Before you begin flattering yourself with your plan, would you care to tell me exactly what you're going on about?" Hiei interrupted stubbornly. He was confused and wasn't sure that he liked the way this was playing out. "I don't have any reason to be jealous of you or to try and pick a worthless fight," he added to hide any possibility that he didn't understand what was happening.

Khiva smiled knowingly. "You are ignorant aren't you? Well, if I must be so blunt, I'll say this in your terms: We're both looking for Mukuro's affections, are we not? But instead of wasting our time trying to prove it to ourselves, allowing her the choice would settle the superiority dispute for good. The better man always wins Hiei."

The fire demon could only gape at him for a moment. "WHAT?" he managed to gasp finally, all his composure gone. "WHAT IN HELL GAVE YOU THAT IDEA?" Recovering slightly, the fire demon forced himself to breathe and said in a forcibly calmer voice, "You've finally lost what little intellect you ever had Khiva. If you think for a moment that I care at all about Mukuro's weak emotions you're stupider than any human I've ever seen." He refrained at the last moment from naming Kuwabara.

"Hiei, I'm more than confident that you do care about these so called 'weak emotions'. That's why I'm confident to challenge you to this little race. If you think you can best me and win Mukuro's heart than you're welcome to try."

"For the last time," Hiei snapped angrily, "what in hell makes you think I care for her at all?" The fire demon turned with a curse and started to walk away, only to freeze with Khiva's next words.

"If you don't care, then why did you stay?"

* * *

Mukuro broke off her connection with Hiei's mind. Well this had turned into quite an educational evening. Not to mention interesting, she found listening to Khiva's proposition most fascinating. So this was what they hoped to accomplish was it? Well she could always make it harder for them. She already hid her emotions as it was, a little more secrecy wouldn't hurt either of them, though there was no doubt they would get frustrated. Then again, she always liked keeping her subordinates a little baffled.

* * *

Hiei stalked back to his chambers growling under his breath and cursing everything from the sky to Khiva's smug grin. That damned ferret, this was just like something he would do. But then, it did explain why he had shown such an interest in what he had been doing. He had wanted to make sure that Hiei hadn't been getting too friendly with their lord. And now he had framed him so that to prove once and for all he was superior he would have to do exactly that, and keep Khiva from it at the same time. What a wonderful situation. 

So now not only did he fail at keeping his thoughts from Khiva, he had to try and keep them from Mukuro, who would be much harder to fool. There were times that he could feel the former lord probing at his mind and when he had to forcefully shut her out. Then there were times that he conceded defeat and allowed her to listen to his thoughts, mostly times when he wasn't really thinking about much of anything. Little did he know that she was frequently hiding her presence in his thoughts from him and secretly learning things that would have greatly angered him if he was aware she was doing it. Tonight had been, unknowingly for Hiei, one of those times, and again unknowingly for him, she was going to confront him about it.

Yes, this was a wonderful situation.

* * *

_Yes I realized that Mukuro's eyes are blue and changed it later...must have missed it here...whatever..._

_Wow this has only been posted for 10 minutes and already I have reviews..._

_Hiei: (eyeroll)_


	3. The Race is On

Chapter Three: The Race is On

* * *

Dawn brought three demons from their chambers early. One of them was nervous, having spent the night deep in thought and not having gotten very far, especially where the matter of his emotions was concerned. Another was excited with the prospect of a challenge and being able to finally express his true feelings. And the third was expectant, fully knowing of the demons' plan and waiting with a mischievous one of her own. It was with these three demons that the palace slowly rose to life and began its usual routines.

Hiei leapt through the trees with his sword at his side. He usually patrolled the perimeter and surrounding areas in the morning, just at dawn when the sun was barely showing over the treetops. He didn't know why this was his favorite time, but he did know it made patrol the easiest by avoiding the heat of the day. More demons were active by dark and especially at dawn and dusk.

This morning, however, his thoughts were barely focused on his job. The memory of the previous night and his encounter with Khiva came flooding back every few moments, playing itself over in his mind. He was partially in denial of the challenge, refusing to accept that it had actually happened. There was no way he would ever tell Mukuro anything.

"But then you're submitting to Khiva," a nasty voice said in his mind, and he knew that was something he would never do without a worthy fight. But this challenge wasn't a sword duel or a battle of intelligence. Khiva had gotten him in a weak spot, and as the fire demon thought this over he realized Khiva had done it on purpose. He was counting on him to be stubborn and refuse to reveal anything, therefor losing without an attempt.

Angrily Hiei weighed his options. He could keep his silence and get used to bowing to the ferret demon. No, that would never do. He could fake an attempt at least, and lose with Khiva thinking he had put up a fight. But his pride would never let him live that one down, just like it was making him accept this challenge. But that only left one alternative; play for real and pray that he wasn't rejected. Or…this thought reassured Hiei and he quickened his pace. Or he could play for real but make it seem like he was only faking. Mukuro would be less suspicious this way and maybe even accept him anyway. Unless she tapped his thoughts, the fire demon realized sadly, and he slowed to a halt.

He usually considered himself smarter than this, at least smart enough to fool a ferret. But no, he was trapped and out of ideas. "I'm sure Khiva took great pleasure in spinning this plan," he muttered darkly.

"What plan would that be Hiei?"

* * *

Back in the palace, Khiva was extremely pleased with himself. He had thought through every angle of his plan until he was sure there weren't any loopholes. Hiei would have no choice but to accept his defeat; he would never admit anything to Mukuro. Truth be told, Khiva had truly made a guess about the fire demon's feelings based on the evidence he had gathered, but the fact that Hiei had accepted the challenge was enough to confirm his suspicions.

Practically skipping down the hallway, he ignored the dark looks from the guards and stopped in front of a younger demon, which leaned away from him as though he had a contagious disease. Smirking, Khiva reached out and slid the demon's saber from its loop on his belt. With an expert hand he twirled it in a circle in front of the young demon's eyes before he tossed it in the air and caught the end, offering the hilt back to its true wielder. Seeing the wide-eyed look his stunt had achieved, Khiva decided he had made an impression and made his request.

"I've come to see Lord Mukuro," he said politely, giving the demon a small bow. Instead of hurrying to see to his request he stood petrified in his place, watching the ferret warily.

"Lord Mukuro isn't here," he said finally, and Khiva's smile faltered for a moment. "She said also to tell you that she has no interest in your romantic endeavor and to try for someone not so far out of your league." As he said these last words he trembled, because Khiva looked livid.

"Out of my league is she?" Khiva murmured softly, talking more to himself than the other demon. "We'll see about that won't we?"

* * *

"What plan would that be Hiei?" Mukuro asked again, because the fire demon had frozen when she appeared from the last of the dawn's shadows. The fire demon's look was humoring her, because she knew perfectly well what plan he had been referring to, and seeing the mortified look on Hiei's face was enough to confirm anyone's suspicions. She really wondered if Hiei would crack under Khiva's provocation and finally come straight with her. She was testing him.

Hiei swallowed heavily and tried to look his lord in the eyes. She seemed to notice his nervousness and also seemed to find it funny. This angered the fire demon and he glared at her. She had no idea what was going through his mind.

"I'll pretend I never asked," Mukuro said, much to Hiei's relief and sudden suspicion. The lord he knew would have never abandoned such a question. "I take it your patrol is going smoothly then Hiei?"

"Surprisingly enough," he answered, still trying to recover from the abrupt question from a moment before. "But then, since when have you paid attention to what I do on patrol? I think you have business in the palace," he added, suddenly feeling a distant surge in Khiva's energy. "It seems someone's not happy that you decided to take the morning off."

"Not many things that I do please Khiva," Mukuro said softly, feeling the energy as well. "That's one of the reasons he has the position he does now. No matter what I did, it wasn't good enough for him with the knowledge he thought he had of war and tactics. His ideas were good," Mukuro said, seeing the smug gleam in Hiei's eyes, "but he forgot to consider the factors of dealing with demon lords."

"Eventually we had a feud and I banished him from the palace. For a year I disregarded him and ruled as I saw fit, which obviously was for the better." Hiei couldn't help but smirk at this, seeing that she was right. "It wasn't long before I summoned you that he returned to the territory, bringing news of Raizen's rapid decline in health. Apparently he had served that year in Raizen's service, and seeing that his lord would soon be no more he returned to the territory he had pledged allegiance to originally. It goes without saying that I accepted him back into my service, and for a long time it seemed he would be a hero for what he had done."

"But then the war never happened," Hiei supplied. "So instead of becoming a big-shot he dropped to the level of a common soldier." Mukuro nodded. "I bet he hated that."

"He did," she said, taking a seat against the trunk of a large tree. After a half-second's hesitation Hiei sat down next to her, careful not to get too close. "He loathed me quite outwardly for a long while after that. Before all of this, though, you were destroying demon after demon in my dungeons, and growing as a threat to the last chance Khiva had to gain power."

Hiei nodded, knowing all of this already. This was what had led to the formation of his rivalry with the ferret. "I doubt many realized it at the time-even I had my doubts- but Khiva seemed to sense your potential from the beginning and that you would eventually become a very influential demon in the palace and the war. He saw you as a threat to his ambitions and decided to play it drastic."

"That fight you interrupted," Hiei murmured, and Mukuro nodded. "Personally I wish you had just let me kill him. It would have been so much easier." And have kept me from being screwed like this, he thought angrily.

"I probably should have," Mukuro agreed, "but at the time it didn't seem like the best thing to do. I decided to give him a final chance to recover himself. He seemed to sense his time was limited and immediately afterward had a change of weather. Every decision I made was perfect by him, something he said he 'couldn't have done better'."

Hiei snorted. That sounded pretty desperate to him. As though sensing his thoughts Mukuro chuckled.

"Yes, I thought he was trying a bit too hard myself. And so the tournament came and went, and gradually his new face did too. Apparently what you did in our fight had pressed some hidden button in his personality that totally reverted him to his old self." For a moment she fell silent, and Hiei wondered whether he dared inquire further. "He tried to talk me out of extending the invitation for you to stay at the palace," she said quietly. "There were a million different reasons why you weren't the right demon for the position. I don't remember most of them to be honest, they were that insubstantial."

"Needless to say, you overrode him."

"Naturally," Mukuro replied with a glance at the fire demon. "And I must say, I'm glad I did." As thought not to give Hiei the wrong idea she added, "Can you imagine what would have happened if I allowed him your position?"

Hiei shuddered, but he couldn't help but get the feeling she had let something slip that hadn't been meant to come out. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and felt his stomach twinge. Would this be the situation they would be in when he finally came out and told her? Whoa, since when had that an ironclad idea anyway? He was still debating on whether or not he would tell her at all. But something in his heart seemed to label that as a lie, and he couldn't deny it.

"You know," Mukuro murmured, "this is all very ironic really. I suppose he never told you…well of course he wouldn't, but…nonetheless…it was Khiva who gave that necklace to me." She reached up and held the tear for a moment in her fingertips before looking up to meet Hiei's open stare. "You never knew what became of it before I returned it did you?"

The fire demon shook his head, eyes wide with disbelief. Why would Khiva give away something that valuable? The ferret seemed to have a sixth sense for anything that involved treasure and, even if he hadn't known what the jewel was, would have known it was extremely rare and valuable. Maybe he hadn't been exaggerating the previous night when he said he sought Mukuro's affections. Almost instinctively his hand closed over the gem. This changed a few things.

* * *

Many of the guards in the palace were extremely anxious, never staying in one spot and moving around in groups. For all the strength and courage they possessed, none of them wanted to catch Khiva in a bad mood. It seemed the news of Mukuro's message had spread quickly and wherever the ferret was, he was always alone. That didn't bother him the slightest; he preferred it actually because he wouldn't be interrupted. He was making a plan.

Anxiously the ferret paced around his spacious chambers, occasionally muttering under his breath and sometimes pausing while he thought. He had to make sure this was fool proof if it was to work the way he planned. He had no room for mistakes this time; it could mean banishment or even his life if he failed.

Exhausted, the ferret demon sank down onto his futon and hid his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes hard enough to make stars spring into them. He was frustrated and confused. How had Mukuro found out about his challenge with Hiei from the night before? Had the fire demon told her? No, there was no way, not when he had been too flustered to even admit it to himself. Maybe one of the guards had overheard. Khiva almost laughed at himself for that one. The guards were all terrified of him, he hadn't seen one of them after his encounter at Mukuro's chambers.

"Try for someone not so out of your league"… 

She was out of his league was she? Well, he'd show her. Hopefully, if nothing went wrong, by the time the night was over she would be singing a different tune. With that reassuring thought in his mind the ferret picked up a sword and exited his chambers at a brisk walk. Coming to the outer walkway, he leapt out a window and landed smoothly outside the forest. There wasn't anyone around and he decided it wouldn't hurt to train nearby for once.

Finding a nice open area, he took the sword in his hand and held it ready. Visualizing an imaginary opponent in front of him (he smirked as he thought of Hiei) the ferret began to swing, practicing his quick strokes. Jumping into the trees nearby, he leapt from branch to branch, swiping at passing shadows and the leaves that swirled around him. He spotted a pair of low overhanging branches and swung at those next, cutting them both perfectly into long pieces. These he cut again to make four targets, which he spread around the clearing.

Using his natural speed, he charged across the clearing at his targets and swept his sword through the first one with a minimal effort. The second and third were destroyed as well, and he came at the fourth with a wide swing, spinning his body completely with the momentum of the strike, only to be jarred painfully when his sword caught. The ferret turned and stared at the tip of his blade, which was buried halfway in the target, though it hadn't split it completely. With a curse Khiva wrenched his sword free.

Suddenly realizing the presence of another behind him, he turned on his heel and say Hiei standing just beyond the tree line, watching him with an unreadable expression. Then he shook his head and turned away, an action that infuriated the ferret. Before he knew what he was doing Khiva took his sword like a spear and threw it at Hiei's back, disregarding his own rules of no competition.

Moments from impact Hiei spun around and caught the blade in his bare hand, holding its quivering tip in front of him. He tossed it in the air and caught its handle, feeling how awkward the large hilt felt in his small hand. Vanishing, he appeared next to Khiva and the targets and swung, causing the ferret to dive out of the way. Khiva rolled and stood up, staring at Hiei, who was looking at him with a satisfied smirk. Behind him, the original four targets all had been equally split into eight new ones.

Tossing his sword back to its real owner, Hiei vanished again and appeared outside the forest, and in a singe jump landed in a palace window. Khiva watched him go with a look of pure hatred before he took his sword and stabbed it forcefully into the ground.

Hiei smirked as he walked the familiar path to his chambers. He would always prize the look on the ferret's face when he'd cut all his targets, even the one that Khiva had missed. He couldn't be blamed; it was like the ferret had said himself: "The better man always wins." Chuckling under his breath, the fire demon passed through his door and sat down on his futon.

His elated mood passed quickly as the memory of what Mukuro had told him sank in, and Hiei scowled. He wondered briefly where Khiva had gotten his tear gem, but mostly he pondered why he would give it to Mukuro. That had obviously been after she had brought him into her service. Would it have been to get on her good side? He didn't put that past the ferret to try and sweeten up an employer. He must obviously not have known that Mukuro couldn't be bribed.

Taking his sword from his belt the fire demon lay back and rested his head on his folded arms. Staring up at the blank ceiling, the candlelight playing over him, Hiei's thoughts switched to his present situation. He had passed up a perfect opportunity to talk to the lord that morning. They had talked well until noon, and had just sat in each other's company for a while after that. Hiei sighed. He had always played to be emotionless and it had fooled most of the demons he had ever met; the two that he hadn't had been Kurama and Mukuro.

He had to make a decision. He was going to tell her and nothing would keep him from that. Okay, the fire demon thought, sooner is probably better than later. He would have to get her alone. That shouldn't be too hard. If nothing else he could always visit her in her chambers; no one would dare listen to them there. Okay, that was that. He would meet her in her chambers that night and tell her everything. It was only after he got a straight answer that he would mention Khiva's challenge.

Nervously the fire demon lay on his futon and watched the shadows on the roof above him, trying to ignore the butterflies that had settled in his stomach and pass the afternoon.

* * *


	4. An Alluring Scent

Chapter Four: An Alluring Scent

* * *

Dusk came all too soon for Hiei and much later than Khiva would have liked. After failing to talk himself out of it for most of the afternoon the fire demon finally decided it would be a good time to talk to Mukuro and stood up. Tucking his sword back through his belt and gathering his cloak around his shoulders, Hiei passed through his door and paused out in the hallway. It was dark like normal, but in a sudden impulse he waved his hand and the torches sprang to life, illuminating the bare hall. Finding he preferred that for some strange reason, the fire demon continued toward his lord's chambers. 

Walking toward the hall that branched off to Mukuro's rooms, Hiei paused for a moment to look outside, where a blanket of darkness had settled over the land. A few stars struggled to shine overhead, but other than that the darkness was complete and muffling, choking any light that tried to penetrate it. For once Hiei didn't find it calming and continued on with a quicker pace, feeling his heart beating in his throat. Sooner than he expected he found himself at the hallway to Mukuro's chambers and vanished down it.

Stopping outside the door, Hiei's suspicions were aroused when he didn't see any of the guards usually stationed outside the lord's chamber. Cocking an eyebrow, the fire demon was about to knock when he felt an all to familiar demon energy that made his blood boil. What was that damned ferret doing? Hiei's heart sank when he realized Khiva had beat him to it. Growling under his breath, he turned to go, stopping when he sensed a sudden surge in Mukuro's energy. Just what was happening in there?

Before the fire demon knew what he was thinking his third eye had opened and he was searching for Mukuro's mind, which he tapped surprisingly easily. Judging by her distraction and the lack of a forceful boot from her mind it seemed the lord hadn't noticed his presence in her thoughts, which was just fine by Hiei. He was more fixated with what was going on.

Mukuro was seated on her futon looking at Khiva, who kneeled nearby. He was wearing his court clothes, a long white tunic. The edges were trimmed with gold and he was wearing a shimmering golden sash and a black shirt and pants underneath. A short sword was tucked through his sash. He sure was dressed to impress, Hiei thought to himself, but that wasn't what had confused him. Mukuro was watching the ferret with a sense of confusion that made her mind strangely foggy. Hiei was trying to sort through this when he heard Khiva speak.

"You know that I have always felt for you milady.

"I do know," Mukuro answered, and Hiei narrowed his eyes when she didn't make a smart or angry retort. If the rumors were true she had refused him just this morning, though that didn't seem the case now. In fact, as the fire demon delved through her mind, he could even sense feelings of excitement and anticipation at her words.

The fire demon's jaw dropped as Khiva knelt beside her and took her hand in his. For a moment he felt Mukuro anger and she almost slapped him, but something steadied her hand. She glared at him briefly before breaking into a small smile. This was what Khiva wanted and he kissed her hand, sending a spark of nerves through the lord's stomach. Then she growled under her breath when she realized what he had done and her fist clenched in her lap. He smiled at her and that feeling vanished again.

What was going on? Hiei was confused and angry at the same time. He had thought Mukuro hated Khiva; it had sure sounded like it when she spoke about him earlier. What was going through her mind? Hiei's mind reeled in disgust as Khiva sat down beside her and ran his hand through her hair. Obviously the ferret had no idea two minds were inhabiting this body. Then the demon noticed something he hadn't before and it startled him for a moment.

Snapping out of Mukuro's thoughts, Hiei knelt by her door and sniffed, immediately noticing the strange scent coming from her room. It wasn't something he had ever noticed before and for a moment it caused a huge feeling of elation to swell inside him, but that vanished momentarily. Reentering Mukuro's thoughts, Hiei's heart leapt when he realized Khiva was only a few inches from the lord and looked as though he was about to kiss her.

Mukuro's mind was racing. What the hell is he doing? she thought to herself. Whatever it is, it's wonderful! No, he had better get away before I kill him! I never wanted him…but he's so gorgeous…and its obvious he wants me… But I don't want him…I want…I want Hiei…

The fire demon's heart almost stopped. All this time she had been fooling him, had been hiding her true motives. For a moment he wanted to shout with joy but the reality of the present situation stopped him. Khiva had entranced her and was planning to make her his mate. He couldn't let that happen, not after what he had learned.

"Come on, think!" he muttered to himself, trying to remember everything he had ever learned about ferret demons. Something Kurama had once told him resurfaced in his mind and he mulled over it temporarily, putting pieces together.

"_You've probably never heard of this Hiei, but many rodent demons have musk glands that can give off a particular odor. Foxes are very capable of it and it helped us earn our…well…reputations as being very sensual demons. You see…this aroma is a natural attraction to demons of the opposite sex and will make them practically fall head over heels for the demon who's they smell. We generally avoid it but in some desperate cases there have been demons that use it."_

Could this be what Kurama had described? It was probably only working because Khiva was such a powerful demon. Mukuro had enough mental defenses that she could probably resist it, but Hiei had no idea how long Khiva had been in with her. He had to do something; Mukuro wasn't winning this battle, try as she might. But what could he do without physically being there?

"_Usually the scent will wear off on its own, unless the demon keeps emitting it. But, however, if the demon is able to claim the female-"_ sleep with her, Hiei thought to himself, _"-than the effects of the scent will be permanent. Like I said, not many demons prefer this method, but those that are desperate…" _

Shit! What was he going to do? Backing down the hallway, Hiei charged and threw his shoulder against the door as hard as he could. The resulting thud echoed throughout the hallway and Mukuro's chambers, causing Khiva to look up in surprise and anger. The ferret smirked when he realized who had interrupted them and continued as though the fire demon had never done anything. Hiei cursed loudly and again tried to force his way through the door, only to bounce back with minimal effect. If Mukuro didn't want intruders she sure as hell kept them out.

"No!" the fire demon shouted as Khiva caught Mukuro's lips with his own, pushing her onto her back. He felt his knees give out and didn't try to catch himself as he fell to the ground. "You…you can't," he whispered, falling forward onto his arms and staring hopelessly at the ground. They were too far-gone, he could still see them through Mukuro's mind. Another minute and he would be too late.

"You can't!" Hiei shouted angrily, punching the ground with a curse. "Damn you Mukuro, can't you see? I love you!"

_"Hiei?"_

For a moment Khiva faltered and he felt Mukuro tense beneath him. Pulling away and staring down at the lord, he saw the murderous gleam in her blue eye and swallowed visibly, backing away as cautiously and quickly as he could. She stood up after him and all his composure left him in a wave. Bolting for the door, he slammed it open and dashed by Hiei, who looked up in surprise. The fire demon watched in amazement as his rival reached the end of the hall and jumped out the nearest window. He could sense him running farther and farther away and again bit down a shout of joy.

Suddenly he remembered Mukuro and leapt to his feet as well. Vanishing and reappearing at the end of the hallway Hiei took off for his own chambers at a run and didn't even slow down until he got to his hallway. Glaring at the torches and making them go out, the fire demon slipped into his room and sank to the floor, rather winded. After taking off his cloak and tossing it into a corner with his sword he lay spread-eagle on the floor, too startled and amazed to do anything else. The scene from the past half-hour kept playing through his mind.

"She's cared about me all along," he whispered to himself, feeling an uncharacteristic sense of elation fill his stomach. And Khiva was gone! He had fled with his tail between his legs and wouldn't ever have the nerve to come back this time. "Heh, you were right Khiva. The better man does always win."

Slowly the rare smile Hiei wore slid away and he glared. He had watched demons that became involved with females and the results were always the same. They went soft and sank from even the most cutthroat assassins to submissive weaklings, tending to their mate's every will. It sickened him and he wouldn't see himself turn out that way. Mukuro was bound to find out that he had overheard eventually, and when she did he wouldn't be able to lie any more. He had no choice but to distance himself from her, maybe even leave for good.

"I don't want to leave," he whispered to himself, and could feel the sincerity in the statement. He wasn't fooling himself this time. "I can't stay here," he said to convince himself. "There'll be no living with her after this. If I leave tonight she'll never know." About midnight, he decided, because there was a good chance no one would even know he left.

Frowning, Hiei crawled over to his futon and lay down with his head toward the wall.

* * *

_(would try and say something emo but finds she lacks the ability...)_

_Hiei: (evil eye)_


	5. Why He Chose to Stay

_Yeah sure, you can add me to your C2, it doesn't matter..._

* * *

Chapter Five: Why He Chose To Stay

* * *

Midnight came and went, and Hiei gathered his cloak and sword. There was nothing left in his room worth anything to him, and he extinguished the candles as he left, taking a final glance around at the chambers he had inhabited for almost a year. Sighing, Hiei stepped through the doorway and felt it close behind him for the last time. There was no turning back now. He walked the hallway in silence and stopped just inside a window, where he turned back to look at the palace. A ray of moonlight fell on his face as his eyes drifted in the direction of Mukuro's chambers and he shook his head, turning away. He was about to jump out the window when something stopped him. 

Turning back around, Hiei looked up and felt his heart leap into his throat, though he kept a solid face. For a moment both demons simply looked at each other, trying to read the other's eyes. Hiei found his feet rooted to the spot and couldn't force himself to turn away. His eyes traced the familiar face as he tried to imprint the memory of her features in his brain so he could always remember. For a moment it looked as though she wished to embrace him, but in an instant that impression vanished and the cold look returned.

"Where are you going so late Hiei?" Mukuro asked quietly. There was a still silence for a moment before she whispered, "I want to thank you."

"For what?" Hiei asked incredulously, taken by surprise.

Mukuro looked at the floor, for the first time seeming tentative. "For what you said earlier. If you hadn't spoken out I never would have stopped him." Now the fire demon understood and he shook his head as though to defer her from that thought. "It was your voice that made me realize I had to stop him at all costs. Don't you think its time we came straight with each other Hiei?"

Hiei shook his head and said sharply, "There's nothing to be straight about." He wanted to walk away but found he still didn't have the will or strength to move his limbs.

"You are stubborn aren't you?" Mukuro whispered. With a small smile she tipped Hiei's chin with her hand so he was looking into her eyes and without hesitation pressed her lips to his.

The fire demon's eyes shot open and he tensed, but didn't pull away. A small part of his brain was cheering for him to kiss her back, but his hesitance silenced that and he was still standing dumbfounded when she pulled away. Feeling his heart pounding in his throat Hiei stared at her for a minute before averting his eyes and saying quietly, "You needn't have done that." Quickly he turned on his heel and without a backward glance walked slowly to the window, where he stood poised to jump. Mukuro was still standing behind him, watching without trying to stop him. That was the last thought that went through the fire demon's mind before he jumped.

* * *

_In a daze he sat up and rubbed his head, blinking in the dawn. Grass crinkled beneath his body and he looked around, surprised for a moment. He was outside in the forest. The trees here were much larger and the undergrowth thicker than the part of the forest that he had come to know so well. There were no traces of wildlife and the fire demon got the impression that few ever traveled this road. The path was narrow and seemed to weave back and forth in no true discernable line. This was new territory and he felt a sense of suspicion slip over him. How had he gotten here? What had happened?_

_Then the fire demon remembered. He remembered standing in the palace, about to jump. Something had kept him back though, and Mukuro had tried to thank him for something. Then -he shivered- she had kissed him. He could vaguely recall the warmth of her lips against his and the feeling of elation that had surged through the pit of his stomach at that brief moment. Then he had turned away and jumped._

"_What's going on?" he murmured as he stood up, once again glancing around to get his bearings. _

_He was running away to live his life as he had before he left for Human World. He would never remain in one place for any period of time, never allow anyone to get close to him again. That had been his plan and he wasn't about to abandon it now that it was actually happening. The hardest part had already passed, even though if his plans had gone right it would have been insignificant. He had said goodbye to Mukuro, something he had never said to any of his companions from his days as a Spirit Detective._

_Sensing movement in the underbrush Hiei tensed and reached for his sword. His crimson eyes narrowed as he pinpointed the source of the motion. Instinct told him to strike but he held back, waiting for it to make the first move. If he was going back into the wilderness he would have to be cautious once again. The rustling in the leaves stopped and he sank into a defensive stance, his fingers closing over the hilt of his katana. Then, from the bushes, someone emerged._

_Hiei jumped and aimed his strike before his gaze truly focused. In midair he finally got a good look at his opponent and struggled to shift his forward momentum, managing to land rather sloppily off to the side. For a moment he could only stare as his brain struggled to put pieces together, then he shrank away as the face registered in his slowed thoughts._

"_It can't be," he murmured, backing away, but she continued to approach him, walking calmly. In the pale moonlight her blue kimono looked almost white and her red eyes a pale shade of pink, giving the faint impression of a ghost. She was deathly pale._

"_Hiei," she said softly, and the fire demon looked up, ignoring the fact that his hands were trembling._

"_No," Hiei said, more to himself than her. "It can't be you…it's not possible...I left you behind." Too late he realized the true meaning of this statement and dropped his gaze to the ground, wishing nothing more than to sink into it._

"_Yes I know," she said, her smile sliding to a frown. "You ran from me, just like you plan to run from Mukuro. Are you that scared of what will happen to you?" She stepped forward and rested her hand on Hiei's cheek, who didn't have the heart to move away. "Do you doubt your heart?" she asked in a whisper._

_The fire demon's eyes closed and he swallowed forcefully. "You don't understand," he said, his voice heavy with emotion. "You don't understand what it's like being exiled and abandoned by everyone. You, you have Kuwabara and the others," the bitter taste that usually accompanied the human's name didn't come this time, "and I…I don't…"_

_She shook her head. "You're so used to being hated that you can't see anything else. You're scared. Why Hiei?" she asked suddenly, her voice much stronger and sharper than before, "why do you keep running away?"_

_That angered the fire demon and he snapped, "I don't run from anything!"_

_Now she was trembling, but Hiei noticed it wasn't from fear or sadness. "All you've ever done is run! You were scared of what I would think of you! You distanced yourself from me and tried to run from your emotions by not telling me when you left! You knew the truth all along and didn't have the courage to tell me! Face it Hiei, you're just a coward!"_

_That stung coming from her and Hiei looked at the ground, tears welling in his eyes. Instead of stopping her, this seemed to reassure her and she continued her barrage._

"_Now you're running from Mukuro, who actually loves you Hiei! Why?" she asked, her voice suddenly soft again. "Why do you think that by running from your emotions they'll go away?"_

_The tears that Hiei hadn't bothered to check broke over and he sank to his knees, barely catching himself with his hands. "I don't know…" he confessed, biting his lip, "I don't know why!" Shaking, his hand closed into a fist and he pounded it into the ground. _

"_Is it that you're afraid of being rejected?" she whispered, kneeling beside him and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Because you're a Forbidden Child and have never known anything but hatred and fear from others? Hiei, you're just making it harder for yourself by carrying your burdens alone. You're too afraid to trust others that you've insulated yourself altogether."_

_Tears still lingering on his cheeks, Hiei allowed her to embrace him and hid his face in her shoulder. "You're right," he whispered finally. "You're right, everyone's always right! I love her," he said in a voice so soft she couldn't hear him. "I love her and I shoved her away! Now it's too late."_

"_No it's not," she whispered in his ear. "Go back. Go back to where you belong." And as Hiei pulled away in surprise at the familiarity of the statement he spotted the crystal tear gem hanging at her neck. "You stay with her," Yukina whispered, "and know that I'll always love you."_

_Quietly she stood up, leaving Hiei on his knees with renewed tears in his eyes. "You're strong Hiei, stronger than anyone I've known. Stay that way," she whispered before vanishing into the mist._

"_I will always love you."

* * *

_

Trembling, Hiei forced himself to open his eyes and sit up. For a moment he could only sit, listening to the pounding of his heart and feel his body shaking. It was just a dream, he thought forcefully, but as he looked around he could have sworn he spotted a single clear crystal in the grass, but it vanished when he tried to grab it. A tear slipped from his eye and splashed on his hand, where it rolled to the ground. Hiei sighed and bowed his head, willing not to let himself cry.

Now he could see it. Everyone had been trying to earn his trust and he had shoved them away by being distant. No one hated him, he had tried to fool himself into thinking that to hide the knowledge that he had forced them away. He had probably made a fatal error by leaving Mukuro. She wouldn't let him return after his, he was sure of it, and the thought that he would be alone was enough to weaken the fire demon's heart. Yukina was right, everyone had been right!

"Why?" he asked out loud, his fingers weaving into the grass around him as a surge of anger soared through him. "I hope you're having fun with this," he shouted to the sky. "Some superior being you are, you sadistic bastard! All you've ever done if screw with me!" Fuming from hatred and despair, Hiei hung his head and hid his face in his arms.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, but when the fire demon looked up the sun was beginning to light the sky to the east, brimming over the trees. Startled by how late it was getting Hiei jumped to his feet and bolted from the opening of the path and into the dense growth. Because he was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn't pay any attention to where he was going and instinctively leapt the obstacles in his path. Angrily he brushed his eyes and growled at himself. It was over, it was done, there was no use reminiscing on the past. He had made his decision and wasn't changing it now. There would be no more tears, no more doubts, no more emotions that clouded his better judgement. He was going back to the killer he had been and would always be in his soul.

Unconsciously he found himself following a path through the trees and quickened his pace without noticing. The undergrowth that had hindered him was thinning and it took almost no concentration at all to follow this path. If his thoughts hadn't been elsewhere he would have noticed the turrets on the horizon but the fire demon was too involved in his dream of the night before to notice until he practically ran into them.

The fire demon leapt up and landed smoothly like he always did, and had taken a few steps before the realization of where he was hit him like a wave. He had known that trail he was on; he took it every day on patrol and had practically memorized every bump and turn. Frozen, Hiei could feel his heart beating in his throat as his eyes scanned the walkway, praying any guards or worse, the lord herself, wouldn't spot him. Why had he come back?

Why had he come back? He thought it had been very clear that he had no plans to ever return. It had seemed like second nature to return, at least in his subconscious, and he hadn't protested. Now he was here and torn between to leave or stay. If he stayed he would have to accept what he and Mukuro had, whereas if he left he could remain unattached to anyone. That had seemed ideal only a few days ago, but now…he wanted to be with her…goddamn what was going on with him?

Looking up when he sensed movement, Hiei's eyes met a pair of blue ones and his breath temporarily stopped. His mind reeled and he could only stand dumbstruck as Mukuro looked at him, her eyes emotionless. Panic exploded in the fire demon's stomach and he tried to make himself turn away, but his body wouldn't respond. He cursed under his breath and forced himself to keep a level gaze but found he faltered under Mukuro's cold look. Submitting, he bowed his head.

"So," Mukuro said firmly, "to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? Or have you come to cause more suffering?"

Hiei only stared at her for a minute, not sure what she meant. Then he saw her face and something clicked in his brain. Only someone that knew Mukuro as well as he did would be able to spot the pain and sadness hidden in her eyes and Hiei realized what he had done. Surprising as it seemed, she was heartbroken that he had left. She does really love me, he realized with a strong wave of guilt, and he hung his head.

"Has the ever resilient Hiei gone soft?" she asked tauntingly and Hiei's head shot up as he looked at her in amazement, surprised and hurt. "What's the matter? I thought you didn't care for weak human emotions." She glared at him and the fire demon could feel all the strength he possessed slipping away as he looked into her cold blue eyes. "So tell me before I have you forcibly removed from my palace; what do you want?"

I want to tell you I'm sorry, his mind screamed, but he didn't say anything, blinking forcefully. For a moment Mukuro glared at him, waiting for his response. Once she was certain he didn't plan to say anything she turned sharply on her heel and started to walk away.

"Mukuro," Hiei protested weakly, and she turned around, watching him. The fire demon was trembling and blinked against the tears that once again were starting to build in his eyes. He looked up as her footsteps drew nearer and met her eyes for a moment before glancing away. The next thing he knew he had collapsed on his side, his hand pressed against the place at his ribs where she had kicked him. Looking up at her, one of the tears in Hiei's eyes made the jump down his cheek.

"You're weak," she said angrily. "I have no place for you here. Get out of my palace." When he didn't move she kicked him again, knocking the fire demon against the wall. "When I tell you something you do it!"

Gasping and almost choking on his breath Hiei lie against the wall and watched as she started to walk away. "Please," he gasped. "Mukuro I'm sorry!" The demon lord stopped walking but didn't turn around, and Hiei knew she was listening to him. "I'm sorry! I was wrong, I didn't know how much I needed you." He pressed himself against the wall as she stepped forward and knelt beside him.

"You don't mean that," she whispered, but Hiei noticed the anger in her eyes had subsided slightly. "You left me alone, you don't care."

Tears glistening in his eyes, Hiei met her gaze without flinching or looking away. "I…I love you…Mukuro."

For a moment both demons stared at each other, both waiting for a different reaction. Hiei had tensed and was awaiting her to hit him, which never came. Very hesitantly Mukuro ran her fingers down his cheek, then slid her arms around his shoulders and embraced him. Still suspicious, Hiei was tense until he felt something against his neck and realized Mukuro was crying. She ran her hand softly through his hair and hid her face in his neck, tears slipping down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry Hiei," she whispered, "I should never have doubted you."

As the fire demon sat there in her arms, he seemed to feel all the defenses he had every built up against her melting away. He could see Yusuke and the others in his mind, all watching him. They were happy that he had finally dropped his barriers around himself. And the he saw her, standing away from the others and clutching the tear gem around her neck, watching him with a smile. And then he realized the answer to the question Khiva asked him.

This is why he chose to stay.

* * *

_Yeah I know it went all sappy and fluffy at the end…I honestly didn't plan it like that, it just kinda…happened. Sorry._

_Hiei: (angry glare)_

_YEAH YEAH I KNOW! SORRY OK?_

_Hiei: (contemplating the best way to rip QP's brains out)_

_o.O_

_BTW, THIS IS NOT THE END! It was going to be but i got so many different reviews that I decided not to end it! There is more coming!_


	6. A Demon Called Atasu

_Well…due to popular demand (if 5 reviewers can be considered that) I've decided to make up for the miserable being that is my last chapter by continuing. I considered making this a sequel, but ah who cares? It's easier this way and doesn't require having already read something (is thinking of the readers for once o.0 )_

* * *

Chapter 6: "A Demon Called Atasu" 

**6 months later**

_He was running, running through the thick underbrush of the forest, oblivious as usual to the pain caused by scratches from the dense branches and thorns. He had never planned to come back to Demon World, but this was different, and it was an emergency that called for extra help. This was another thing he would have never seen himself doing; asking for help wasn't something he did by nature, and especially not from this demon. The idea had been Koenma's and he had grudgingly accepted it when it was clear there was no other way. Supposedly there was something they needed that only could be provided from an outside source, or so the prince of Spirit World said at least._

"_There was no one else to turn to," Koenma has said when he summoned him. "Besides, you know your way around Demon World."_

"_Not that I'm proud of it," he had retorted. "So do Kurama and Hiei, so why didn't you bother them?"_

"_Kurama has cut all ties with anything to do with Demon World and Youko Kurama. Seeing as Hiei has practically done the same it would be hard to return suddenly and ask for his help."_

"_He guards the stupid path to Human World! What do you mean he doesn't serve Spirit World!"_

"_This is final! You're the one with the mission so suck it up!"_

_What a way to go back on his word. Somehow they had ended up enlisting other demon help anyway. It was the same old story; a demon was trying to find a way into Human World to terrorize the mortal population, cause chaos and destruction, the whole nine yards. Of course, being the only one that Koenma could call for help, he was stuck doing it._

_On the horizon the fortress he was looking for came into view and he quickened his pace. With no thoughts for security or his own discretion he leapt up onto the main level of the palace and was swarmed immediately by guards, who pinned him against the wall with their sword tips. Not wanting to cause trouble (though the thought had crossed his mind) he held up both his hands in a peaceful gesture, earning himself a sharp jab in the side with a sword. The demon that had struck him took a step back and lowered his weapon immediately when he noticed the murderous glare he wore and the fact that his hands were beginning to glow dangerously. Slowly the group shrank back._

"_So this is how you treat visitors is it? Well, I'll just have to teach you the proper welcome!"

* * *

_

With a start Hiei sat up, breathing heavily. Brushing away the beads of sweat that ran down his forehead the fire demon felt Mukuro shift beside him and cursed softly. His head felt as thought it was on fire and he ran his fingers around the third eye on his forehead, wondering briefly why it was alert. Slowly allowing his hand to slip into his lap, Hiei stared at his knees, deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" Mukuro murmured, sitting up beside him.

Hiei glanced at her and brushed a few of her bangs away from her eyes. "Don't worry about it," he said softly. There was nothing to worry about with just a dream. There was nothing to it…nothing… "Oh shit, no!" he growled suddenly, jumping to his feet." That wasn't nothing, he just wasn't reading the signals properly. Grabbing his sword and tucking it through his belt, Hiei tossed his cloak over his shoulders in mid-stride as he vanished out the door.

Sprinting down the hallway, using his third eye as a guide, Hiei soon emerged on the outer walkway of the fortress and turned, his hand closing over the hilt of his sword. "Get away from him!" he shouted through the telepathic link he had with the guards and could immediately sense their retreat. That hadn't been a dream! His Jagan couldn't see the future but it sure could see the present. Bolting around a corner, he slowed to a walk and drew his blade, walking cautiously.

"What are you doing here?" the fire demon demanded, holding his sword in an offensive position. He stepped through the ring of guards and cornered the intruder.

"Well it's a pleasure to see you too Hiei," he replied sarcastically. The look he got in response said quite clearly, "cut the act", and he frowned in memory of Hiei's serious personality. "Before you get all uptight Shorty I'm here because Koenma ordered me to."

"And why do I care?" Hiei asked sharply, but there was a sinking feeling in his gut. "Get out of my palace Yusuke."

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. "Your palace, hmm? So what does that make Lady Mukuro?"

"A demon lord that will kick your ass if you don't stop playing games and tell us why you're intruding in the middle of the night."

Both Hiei and Yusuke turned sharply at the voice and the fire demon immediately lowered his sword. Mukuro approached them calmly, but Hiei could see the anger swirling in her eyes and immediately backed away, merging with the ring of guards. Stopping in front of the late Spirit Detective, Mukuro looked him over, frowning slightly. Before anyone could speak she glanced pointedly at the guards and they vanished to other parts of the fortress so Hiei remained alone.

"Well Mr. Urameshi, you're certainly not the demon you were months ago when you hosted the tournament," Mukuro commented. "I can feel the weakness of your demon energy."

"Are you just going to insult me?" Yusuke asked, and Hiei winced at the sharpness and disrespect in his tone. But instead of being angered, Mukuro smiled slightly. "I came to talk to Hiei," the teenager said finally, abandoning his conversation with Mukuro to look over at the fire demon.

"Whatever you have to say can be said to both of us," Mukuro replied lightly, but there was a finality in her tone that neither could argue with. Hiei stepped alongside her and sheathed his sword. "Well Yusuke, if you have a story you had best be out with it."

"Ok fine," he said, turning to talk to Hiei. "Koenma sent me about asking for your help on a case that came up in Spirit World. He said something about you having some sort of knowledge that would be essential to success or something like that. It sounded pointless to me," he added, noticing the skeptical look Hiei was giving him. "But that's not the point. There's a demon kidnapping spirits and humans alike, but mostly he targets other demons. So far about twenty have gone missing and the number grows almost every week."

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" Hiei asked. "Since when has Spirit World cared what happens between demons? As long as it stays in our realm it has nothing to do with them."

"You didn't listen Shorty," Yusuke said. "It's kidnapping demons AND humans AND spirits, which involves all three realms. Koenma wants us to try and stop it. He said he didn't know who else to call," Yusuke growled.

"Who's Spirit Detective?" Mukuro asked and Yusuke shrugged. Hiei groaned softly.

"I don't care what happens with Spirit World," Hiei retorted. "They've ceased to be something I have to deal with."

"Koenma said you would be thinking something like that. So far Spirit World hasn't been able to collect much information, but they did find out who this demon is." Both Hiei and Mukuro looked up at this. "They say his name's Atasu."

Hiei shook his head. "That doesn't mean anything to me," he said coldly, glancing up at Mukuro, who was staring at Yusuke. He couldn't read her expression but just for a moment there was a surge in her demon energy that seemed to be telling him to take the job. "What is it?" he asked mentally and she shook her head, but he could feel her resolve stronger than ever. "Fine Yusuke," he conceded finally, "I'll help. Tell Koenma that I'll only work on the condition that Kuwabara doesn't come."

Yusuke smirked. "I'll tell him that," he said. "Thanks Hiei."

"Hn."

Hiei backed away and allowed Yusuke to come away from the wall. The Spirit Detective waved before he crossed the hall jumped down into the forest. Waiting until he could barely sense his companion's energy, Hiei turned to Mukuro, who was looking at the place where Yusuke had just stood. Her eyes seemed slightly out of focus, as though she was remembering something. Almost casually she rubbed her wrist and Hiei's eyes narrowed at the gesture, remembering all too well the manacles that had once rested there. Something seemed wrong about this but he couldn't place it.

"What do you make of it?" he asked, jolting Mukuro from her thoughts.

"I can't believe," she murmured, "that after all this time things like this would still be happening."

Hiei could find no meaning whatsoever in this statement and spent a moment marveling over it. What was that supposed to mean anyway? Did she mean after the tournament? He had known Mukuro often spoke in riddles, but this made no sense to him at all. Apparently she didn't notice his anxiety because she turned her back and started to walk back to their chambers, leaving Hiei standing and staring at her back.

"There's something about this," he murmured, still staring into the darkness. "I need to learn more about this demon Atasu."

* * *

_Wow…just wow….this is the shortest, probably most worthless chapter I've ever done. Well…maybe not worthless, it's important…but only 4 double spaced pages…._


	7. With the Old Demon

_Wow...the amout of people that support me is truly amazing...I noticed the lack of author's comments and had to put something..._

* * *

Chapter 7: "With the Old Demon" 

As soon as the sun rose Hiei left the fortress, following a path that headed toward the old border of Mukuro and Raizen's territories. It had been quite a while since he had been on this road and it made him cautious. Because it was so close to the border demons from both territories frequented the path and could be very hostile toward demons with different loyalties. Hiei had found this posed a large problem for him as the one widely known to be Mukuro's second in command. He wore his sword in plain view instead of concealed in his cloak and hoped his reputation would keep others away.

This road was surprisingly clear and it made traveling easy through the forest. With his speed he could make it to the border within the hour, before the sun was fully in the sky. Realizing he would start to meet traffic once the sun was up Hiei increased his pace, keeping his eyes on the horizon. He hoped it wouldn't take long to find what he needed and that he could spend the majority of the day training for the new mission. But at the time, information was more important or he would have started as soon as Yusuke had recruited his help.

Continuing along the road for the next half-hour or so, Hiei slowed to a jog as he began to sense the presence of other demons, meaning he was nearing the border. The trees were thinning and he slowed all the way to a walk as he spotted the border station in front of him. This was where he needed to be and he halted as a demon came running toward him, a sword held in his hand. Hiei recognized him as one of the demons that regulated the border traffic.

"I'm here to see Guilin," the fire demon said before he could be questioned and the demon looked at him for a moment, almost as though he was debating whether or not to honor his request. After a moment in which nothing happened Hiei growled and drew his sword in a swift stroke. The demon flinched and raised his blade, looking panicked, but the Hiei handed him his sword and pointed to a mark just above the hilt.

"Are you sure you won't let me pass?" he asked challengingly.

For a moment the border guard stared at his blade, then his eyes widened slightly and he immediately handed it back, bowing low. "I'm so sorry sir," he said quickly and winced as he felt the cold metal against the back of his neck, sure he would be killed for his ignorance. The blade remained threateningly against his neck for a minute for effect before Hiei sheathed his sword.

With a smirk the fire demon walked past the petrified guard and calmly into the building he had emerged from. None of the other guards looked at him twice as he followed the hallway inside and stopped in front of a door. All along the walls were paintings of different famous demons and Hiei raised an eyebrow when he found Mukuro's picture. He was glad to find that he didn't have a portion of the wall devoted to him and bit his lip to hold back a grin when he spotted Yusuke's picture. The Spirit Detective had been painted with a slightly dazed look, which Hiei thought fit perfectly.

Looking away from the pictures on the wall, the fire demon noticed a much smaller demon standing in front of him, apparently having come out of the door. When the Hiei met his eyes the small demon bowed and said, "You're looking for records I presume?"

Hiei nodded. "I need the file for a demon named Atasu."

The small demon stared at him for a moment, his amber eyes slightly wide. Running his hand nervously over the sleeve of his jacket, he shifted his weight and said finally, "We have no such record."

"Guilin," Hiei began sharply and the demon looked up at being addressed by his formal name, one that very few were aware of. "I know you're lying to me," he said calmly, his hand slipping up and untying his headband. He pulled the cloth away and Guilin gasped when he spotted the purple Jagan eye that could be delving through his thoughts at that very moment. "Lord Mukuro wishes to see Atasu's file."

Neither said anything, the small demon's eyes wide as he began to put the pieces together. Hiei watched him with a smirk, marveling over the mortified look that came into the demon's eyes when he realized who exactly was standing before him. "I'm so sorry master Hiei," he said timidly and he gestured to follow him through the door. "I'll give you what we have."

Without a word Hiei followed him through the door and noticed immediately that they were on a lift that would carry them underground. Guilin pulled a lever mounted on the wall and the fire demon felt the floor jerk beneath him as they began to descend. Watching as the floor rose above them, Hiei noticed the rows of shelves that were coming into view from beneath the lift. So this was where they kept the files on everyone in Demon World.

"I suggest you wait here," Guilin said once they stopped moving. "Those that don't know their way can easily get lost amongst all the files."

Hiei snorted but took his advice as the demon vanished into the rows of shelves. As far as the fire demon could see there wasn't an apparent method of organization for all the files, but he knew that Guilin would be able to find the file. If he was anywhere near as strong as Yusuke made it seem Atasu should have quite a bit of information stored.

Taking a seat on the floor Hiei drew his sword and glanced over the blade, his gaze lingering on the emblem emblazoned just above his hilt. He had shown this to the guard and it had allowed him to pass, even in a time when the old rulers were nothing more than common demons. There was no way to remove Mukuro's symbol from his sword and Hiei found this frustrating even if he did support her. He was marked as an individual with an emblem like that on his blade. Usually in times of war it would be used to identify soldiers and bodies on the battlefield, but that didn't have much significance in the new Demon World. Stubbornly he scratched at the mark and it resisted just as it had so many timed before. Hiei growled under his breath and glanced up as he sensed Guilin returning.

"That's all?" Hiei asked incredulously, taken by surprise by the file that was shoved into his hand. It was barely an inch thick and looked as though there were only a few records inside. Printed across the front of the folder were the words "Classified Information" in large red letters. Thumbing briefly through the folder Hiei tucked it into his cloak.

"That's the only information we have on file," Guilin told him. "It's rare to have so little information on a demon that's survived so long. I imagine there are few even in Spirit World that know of him."

"But you did," Hiei said suddenly as the memory returned to him, looking down at the small demon. "You tried to pretend you didn't but when I told you Mukuro's name you were suddenly alert." The fire demon glared at the record-keeper, who seemed to be losing his nerve. "First Mukuro and now you. What is it about this demon that you're so afraid of?" Hiei growled angrily under his breath.

"You don't know?" Guilin asked softly as he looked up, his amber eyes meeting Hiei's crimson ones for the first time. Shaking his head, the demon sighed and looked away, starting to walk back toward the lift. "It's not my place to tell you," he admitted, knowing this truth would only anger the fire demon. "I'm sorry master Hiei," he added, but the Hiei ignored him.

They rode back to the surface in silence, Hiei confused and angry with Guilin. The one thing he hated more that stupidity was being kept in the dark, which was clearly what was happening here, seeming both with Guilin and Mukuro. This was what frustrated him most. Mukuro trusted him and wasn't afraid to tell him anything. He could practically say the same of himself, which was a big leap for both of them. Why she was keeping silent now, with such an important mission, was beyond him. He made sure to confront her about it when he got back.

"I apologize again for the lack of information we could provide," Guilin said once they reached the surface and were once again in the hall. Hiei shook his head, barely listening until he heard the demon's next words. "Please master Hiei, I'm asking you for your sake, please stop Atasu."

"What…?" Hiei tried to ask, but Guilin had already vanished. "Why is everyone playing games with me?" he growled, but when he felt the file against his stomach he didn't care. He had what he came for, so the trip hadn't been a total waste. Plus he had learned something about Mukuro at the same time.

Emerging out into the sunlight, Hiei realized it was growing close to midday. Surprised by how much time he had spent in the record's hall, the fire demon broke into a run and flashed past the border guard that had tried to stop him earlier. The guard's head shot up but he didn't bother to try and slow him down. Without letting up speed Hiei entered the forest and vanished from the view of the border guard post. If he didn't have such phenomenal agility it was sure he would have twisted an ankle on the uneven path.

"That demon," Guilin muttered as he came to stand beside the border guard, who immediately jumped to his feet. "His loyalty is truly astounding."

The sun had rose completely in the sky when Hiei finally slowed his pace. It had grown extremely warm in the sun and the fire demon feared he had overshot his distance by at least a few miles. There was a place behind him where the path split into two, one going in the relative direction of Mukuro's palace and the other, which seemed quite similar to where he was, leading in the direction of a demon village. It was an amateur's mistake but Hiei's mind had been on other things. He wasn't lost and knew it would be easier to pass through the village and come around in a circle than to double back until he found the other path. That decided, he continued forward at a much slower pace.

The village was inhabited mostly by older demons, quite a few of which had once served in Mukuro's army. As far as the fire demon knew it was the only village permitted to be so close to the lord's palace, though he had never been there himself. There were stories around the palace of a demon swordsmith that lived in the village, along with a much older demon that was reputed to be as good as any record-keeper when it came to old stories and legends. Now that he was forced to take the detour, Hiei decided he would pay the old demon a visit.

Once he was on the outskirts of the village the fire demon paused. He was sure to attract attention if he was walking around carrying a sword at his hip. Untying the belt that held the scabbard to his waist, he retied it underneath his cloak and checked quickly that it was well concealed but could be reached in an instant should he need it. After a moment's hesitation, he tucked his necklace inside his shirt; the gem was still very valuable and he was trying to avoid attracting attention. Making sure his headband was still tied tightly Hiei stepped out of the trees and onto the main village road.

Immediately he sensed a demon behind him and turned, coming face to face with a tall redheaded demon brandishing a spear. Apparently they kept a tight control of who came and went. Or maybe he just seemed like a shady demon that would want to try and cause trouble. The thought made Hiei smirk and he jumped lazily out of the way of the spear thrust that came his way for his humored expression.

"Who are you?" the demon asked and Hiei noted his heavy accent. He spoke like a demon from Yomi's territory and those were extremely rare in this region of Demon World. From where they were now it would take even the fastest demon at least a week to reach Yomi's border.

"I'm a demon that would like to be through your village," Hiei replied sharply, "and could make your life extremely painful if you don't allow me to pass." He was pushing it with the threat, he knew it, but the demon lowered his spear and stepped back toward the forest.

"You can go," he growled regretfully, "I recognize you now."

Hiei raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he murmured, fingering the hilt of his sword. He took a step backward before jumping and landing several feet away with his back to the forest. Continuing quickly, Hiei failed to hear the demon's last words.

"I'm quite familiar with you Hiei."

In layout the village was simple enough. There was a main road that passes through the center, the one that Hiei was on, and several smaller alley's branched off in other directions between the small huts that housed everything from stores to even an armory, though this was barely in use. Mostly it stored old weapons and armor from the days the army had stayed in the village. Not far from the forest was the house of the swordsmith, which was Hiei's first stop.

Passing through the doorway, the fire demon's eyes adjusted quickly to the newfound darkness and he approached the demon sitting in the corner of the room, drawing his sword as he went. The demon turned when he sensed Hiei beside him and looked up from where he had been wrapping the handle of a blade. Placing the sword on the floor he stood up and took the sword Hiei had extended to him, looking over the blade with interest.

"How long for you to hone the edge?" Hiei asked briskly, watching as the swordsmith turned the sword over in his hand and continue to examine it. Holding it in his hand, he took a few swings and tossed the blade in the air, catching it again by the hilt.

"A regular length katana," he said, holding the blade in front of him. "Slightly worn edge. I say it honing it shouldn't take more than an hour," he told the fire demon, who nodded. "Though if I were you I would have it have the balance adjusted as well. Your handle's grown light compared to the weight of the blade and it makes it harder to achieve a fast swing. And what's this?" he murmured, holding the blade in the light. With a jolt Hiei realized he had spotted the insignia and tried not to look concerned as the swordsmith looked up at him.

"It's a pleasure to work for you Hiei," he said and took the scabbard Hiei had removed from his belt. "It should be ready in a few hours. You're welcome to wait if you like," he offered, but Hiei was already on his way to the door.

"I'll be back in a few hours," he said, vanishing through the door. Outside, he glanced quickly up the road before setting off toward the other side of the village where he knew the demon Kyata resided. If the rumors he heard were true this demon should be able to tell him something about Atasu.

Many of the demons that he saw in the village kept their distance, scared away by his harsh demeanor. The few that were bold enough to hold their ground were the old demons of Mukuro's army, and a few even saluted him, which made Hiei roll his eyes. Soldiers would always be soldiers and few would ever be anything more than that. As he reached the outskirts of the village the number or demons he encountered dropped to the occasional loner, and when he spotted a house built almost in the forest he knew it was the one. Approaching without the slightest hesitation, Hiei stopped in front of the door, which had opened to permit him entry.

"It seems I have a visitor," a voice muttered as Hiei entered and stood near the door. "Well don't be shy, you wouldn't have come if you were shy. I'm sure you're looking for information so come and take a seat." From the back of the house stepped a demon and Hiei forced himself to hold his ground. "I'm always willing to entertain guests," Kyata said to him.

For a moment the fire demon simply stared at the demon in surprise before he gathered himself and sat down on the floor across from him. It seemed that at one time Kyata had been a soldier, for Hiei could see scars on his arms that could only have been caused by a sword. One of his eyes was covered by an eye-patch, but the amber one that the fire demon could see sparkled with a knowing light. His dark hair was long and tied loosely at his neck and a pair of small fangs was visible every time he spoke. A peacock was embroidered on the right sleeve of his dark red robe and Kyata sensed the fire demon's eyes lingering there.

"It's rare to see them anymore," he admitted sadly, running his finger over the bird. "There was a time they used to roam freely, but that was long ago. They've been hunted nearly to extinction for their feathers by now."

Hiei had to admit that he had only seen such birds in Human World and had never bothered to notice them. "I came to ask you about a demon," he said, still gazing at the impressive bird.

"Living or dead?" Kyata inquired, propping his head on the arm he had resting on his knee.

"Living," Hiei said confidently, "though living hidden in darkness so no one knows that he is."

"Those are the hardest kind aren't they," Kyata responded with a knowing glance at the fire demon, who shuddered and glanced away. They are the hardest kind, he thought to himself, and I think I know more than enough about that. "So this demon of yours wouldn't happen to have a name would he? It makes it so much easier that way," Kyata said with a wink.

Jerking from his thoughts Hiei said, "His name is Atasu. Apparently he resurfaced just recently."

Kyata's face darkened visibly and Hiei looked at him questioningly. This was becoming a regular response to Atasu's name and the fire demon truly wished he knew why. Apparently Yusuke hadn't been exaggerating the severity of this mission after all. For a moment it seemed that the old storyteller wouldn't answer and Hiei frowned, knowing he should have expected this. Guilin had been the same way. It was surprising, however, when he heard Kyata speak.

"I do know Atasu," he said quietly. "I know more about him than many and a great deal more that I should. More than anyone should for that matter," he said with a warning glance at Hiei, who nodded. "It's not everyday that a demon comes to me wanting to hear about Atasu. Raizen or Mukuro I could understand but, and I apologize if I'm being presumptuous, don't you think he's a bit above you?"

A growl escaped before Hiei could prevent it and he wished he had his sword. "You don't know who I am do you?" he asked darkly.

"I don't believe you introduced yourself," Kyata replied, "though I do have a faint idea. You're the most recent patient of the demon surgeon Shigure. Eccentric demon," he murmured, "though great for stories. If I'm not mistaken he gave you a Jagan implant."

"You're not mistaken," Hiei said, tugging away his headband to reveal his glowing third eye. Kyata smiled slightly and nodded, not at all surprised. "Though you obviously don't have any idea what became of me after that or we would have skipped all of this. If perhaps you would recall the recent tournament it might help." Tossing his cloak aside, Hiei flexed his right arm and noticed the way Kyata was studying him.

"Well well, I am impressed," he said finally, nodding to Hiei. "I did have a guess it was you and I suppose that confirms it. I suppose Mukuro sent you?"

"In a way," Hiei replied shortly and Kyata didn't press the matter. I can't reveal anything about Spirit World, the fire demon thought sternly to himself. I need the information about Atasu but he can't find out about the mission.

"Well then, I suppose I can begin. Are you ready Hiei?" Kyata asked and Hiei smirked. "Never been more ready I suppose. So…the demon Atasu, or at least what is known of him today, is surrounded in shadows like you said. I don't doubt he's done many things to cover his path and keep curious wanderers like us from following him. So how to you trace such a man? It's not easy of course. Very few have the knowledge of what Atasu had done in his life. I am one of the few."

"So how do you know everything if it's such a mystery?" Hiei asked, beginning to feel as though he had been led on. "You say everything is surrounded in shadows but make it seem like you're the torch that keeps us other demons from being in the dark. Why can you acquire all this knowledge that escapes so many others?"

"Do you know how old I am Hiei?" Kyata asked and the fire demon shook his head, startled by the abrupt question. "What would you say if I were to tell you I was born in the two-hundredth year of the lord Senya, the predecessor to your lord Mukuro? As I'm sure you know, Mukuro has ruled for over the last thousand years and Senya even longer before her. I was around to learn of Atasu's actions before it became important for him to disappear. Would that help to answer your question?"

Hiei didn't answer, too amazed to say something that would sound at least slightly intelligent. Why hadn't Mukuro ever told him that a demon like this lived just a few miles from the palace? He could have been an invaluable source of information and probably would have even been accepted into the palace as an advisor. Hiei made a mental note to suggest that once he was back at the fortress.

"I know what you're thinking," Kyata said, "and I refused the offer when Mukuro asked me a hundred years ago. I want to be a demon that anyone can come to for knowledge. I want to help those that want to learn, not just the lords that have their own means of acquiring information. I believe you can understand that Hiei."

He sounds like Kurama, the fire demon thought, who refused to side with Yomi even with the prospect of leading his army or even becoming his heir. "Back to Atasu," Hiei said, steering away from the subject of loyalty. "You said you knew him before he hid his activity from everyone. What was he doing then?"

"Back then? Not much at all," Kyata admitted. "He had ambitions, yes, but had a much more difficult time putting them into actions. At the time he was working under a group of assassins and thieves, mostly as their servant. I do think that he was moving up through their ranks though because it wasn't long before he began to join them. It seemed he specialized in taking hostages that were more often than not killed before they could be used as bargaining pieces. Whether or not that was Atasu's doing I don't know."

'Slowly he broke away from the group he had followed for so long and began working by himself, alone. Only a few demons were ever allowed close to him and he trusted them with his life. In that regard he's not so different from yourself is he Hiei?"

"I didn't have to join up with a gang to get here!" Hiei said hotly but Kyata silenced him with his hand.

"You were raised by bandits, helping them just as Atasu helped his gang of demons. He had a strong taste for blood and violence, just as you did until recently. He wanted very few to know of his whereabouts and trusted very few. You're not so different at all."

'But anyway, this was a very difficult time in Demon World. Senya was having a problem in his territory that were affecting the other two rulers as well. At the time it seemed that there would be a revolt against him and the lordship given over to the strongest, which would be determined in a battle. Amidst all this Atasu was stirring the flames, no doubt wanting the throne for himself. Mysterious kidnappings began springing up all through Demon World and angering the other lords, who blamed Senya and his internal problems. Just as what almost happened a year ago, it seemed the territories would go to war with each other."

"Obviously they didn't," Hiei supplied, "and Atasu never was able to make himself ruler. He became bitter and began killing for sport, trying to terrorize as he had once done. Am I right?"

"Absolutely wrong," Kyata said and Hiei looked at him in amazement. "You see, what prevented the war was the abrupt stop to the killings. It was as though Atasu had grown bored with the idea and abandoned it. And so Senya was able to quell his problems and eventually passed on his rule to Mukuro."

"So what happened to him?" Hiei asked, thoroughly interested in the story. Mukuro would be pleased that he had been able to gather so much information in such a short amount of time.

"After he stopped kidnapping I think he took the prisoners that he had and forced them to do his bidding while he lived in darkness, growing in strength. He made sure that the demons he kept were ones that could never be traced back to him should they escape. So, to put it in more blunt terms, he became a slave-trader."

"Slave trader?" Hiei asked incredulously. Something was bothering him about this but at the moment he couldn't quite place it. "Slave traders are very powerful and influential demons. It's no doubt that Atasu has been waiting all this time and building his power, and this is his comeback."

"I would believe that, yes," Kyata said. "I do hate to admit it, but that's probably all I'll be able to tell you Hiei. I regretfully don't know much about what's become of his recently. I apologize."

"You told me more that I could have learned anywhere else," Hiei said as he rose to his feet and Kyata followed suit. "I would thank you, but it's as you said, you'll continue on long into the night for someone that wants to hear your stories."

"True enough," Kyata said with a smile, and he followed Hiei to the door. "You know Hiei, I would like it if you were to come back sometime. I do believe you have a few interesting stories in you as well."

"More than you want to hear," Hiei told him before stepping outside and back to the road. Kyata was watching him from the doorway and Hiei glanced back at him before taking off up the road to collect his sword.

"He's on the right path," Kyata said to himself, watching Hiei go, "though I can sense that there was a time he could relate perfectly to Atasu."

Night had fallen when Hiei arrived back at the palace. Atasu's file still tucked in his cloak, he headed toward his chambers, where he would have all night to read it (not that it would take near that long with the lack of information the file contained). He was also going to write down everything that Kyata had told him so he wouldn't forget it and would be spared having to relay it to Mukuro. Reaching his chamber door, the fire demon passed through it and stopped when he spotted Mukuro standing inside, a scroll held in her hand.

"What's that?" Hiei asked, ignoring the fact that he never allowed anyone in his room and not even bothering to wonder how she had gotten through his door. "That's the seal of Spirit World," he murmured, examining the wax seal on the parchment. "What do they want?"

"It has to do with the case," Mukuro told him and the fire demon noticed the disappointment in her voice. "Atasu claimed another victim. They need you to leave tomorrow."

* * *

_Oh, about that thing where Kyata says how old he is (born in the 200th year of Senya…)… I figured they don't have months in Demon World and would keep track of it by how long the lord had been ruling (for example, Senya had been ruling for 200 years when Kyata was born). Just my theory._

_And for all you HieixMukuro fans, yes I know it's not really working like a romance story, but I had to get this part out of the way. Trust me, I like writing romantic parts more than stuff like this (though it was fun to write Kyata. He's got such a happy strange personality that I kinda like it. His speech is so weird….)_

_Hiei: (twitch)_


	8. Past of a Slave

_Alright, I hate to say this but my updates might take longer now..at least until the auditions for Honor Band are over...that's like..taking all my time... o.O_

* * *

Chapter 8: "Past of a Slave" 

The fortress was a flurry of motion despite it being late at night. Three more messages had arrived from Spirit World since Hiei returned. The first gave more details on the kidnapping that had happened in the fire demon's absence. It seemed a young female demon had been taken from the palace of one of Yomi's viziers. At the time they were still investigating the circumstances and would get back to him with more information. The second message had contained a confirmation of the female's identity and the testimonies from the demons that had seen her last. It also said that Yusuke was staying in Spirit World and would arrive at the palace the next morning to start the case.

The third message had gone through Mukuro before Hiei had a chance to read it and for a moment she was speechless. Leaning heavily against the wall to keep steady, the former lord read over the message several times before she fully absorbed it. For a moment she could hardly think and she forced herself to keep her wit as she went seeking Hiei to pass on the message.

The fire demon was with the head of the palace guards, discussing the new security measures to be enforced while he was gone. He wanted the amount of soldiers in the palace to increase by almost twice their current number and for scouts to be sent out to watch the forest surrounding the palace. He wouldn't risk anything happening while he was gone and Mukuro agreed with the measures. Things were becoming more and more dangerous for both of them. Any one trying to deter Hiei from the mission would come to the palace, and Mukuro didn't want to try and fight on her own.

"Hiei?" she said once he had sent the demon on his way to institute the new precautions. The fire demon turned and walked toward her, noticing immediately the scroll in her hand and the troubled look she wore. "This came for you," Mukuro said softly, holding out the scroll for him to take.

Hiei glanced over it briefly, not comprehending. Ignoring his heart beating in his throat the fire demon read the message again slowly and felt his knees hit the cold stone floor. His body felt numb and when Mukuro knelt beside him he could barely bring himself to look up at her. "How…?" he asked in a whisper and Mukuro shook her head softly, her hand closing over the one of his that rested on the floor. "Damn him!" Hiei shouted suddenly, his other hand clenching into a fist. "That stupid bastard, I knew he was worthless but I trusted him!"

"You couldn't have known this would happen," Mukuro whispered.

Glaring at the floor, Hiei tried to steady his ragged breathing and swallowed forcefully. His whole body was shaking and when he spoke his voice wavered sharply. "I'm going to Human World right now," he said, "and I'll kick his ass for allowing them to take her…"

Gently Mukuro ran her hand through the fire demon's hair and pulled him into a soft embrace, weaving her hand into his. "That won't change anything," she whispered in his ear. "You should get some rest so you'll be ready tomorrow. I can finish the preparations." Kissing him lightly, Mukuro helped Hiei to his feet and nudged him in the direction of the door.

"I'm doing this for you," Hiei said sadly and Mukuro nodded.

Once the fire demon had gone she left for the armory, planning to gather the rest of the supplies they would need for the journey. Hiei and Yusuke couldn't fail this mission and she would never forgive the fire demon if he did. Atasu was hurting too many and she couldn't stand to see strong demons like Hiei in tears. She would kill him herself if she could, but that was out of the question for a number of reasons. The only thing she could do was prepare Hiei as best she could and hope he was lucky.

Apparently the fire demon had already talked to the demons in the armory because when Mukuro arrived there she found all the supplies waiting. Quickly she looked through them before taking the pack over her shoulder and heading back to her chambers. Inside was a pair of hunting knives for Yusuke and Hiei, a piece of flint (this probably was unnecessary considering Hiei's powers), maps of the different regions of Demon World, containers to carry water (certain parts of Raizen's territory were desert) and finally a small vial that Mukuro had added herself. The bottle was a light purple and the thick liquid inside was clear. It was a medicine that could be used to heal most anything, be it a fracture or pneumonia. They would more than need it.

"That should be everything," Mukuro murmured to herself as she crossed the palace to her chambers. Yusuke would arrive around sunrise and they would travel through the day. Hiei had wanted to travel at night, using the darkness to their advantage, but she had crushed that idea with the statement that they were much more likely to be attacked at night than in broad daylight. Only when they found Atasu's lair would they need the stealth that night allowed. Yusuke had seconded that idea and Hiei had grudgingly conceded defeat.

The fire demon was curled in a ball on her futon when Mukuro arrived at her chambers. Quietly she set down the pack of supplies and turned to leave, not wanting to wake him up. It was a wonder that he got any sleep at all. Before she could leave, however, Mukuro sensed Hiei watching her and turned around, crossing the room and sitting down beside him as he propped himself up on his elbow. From the look in his eyes it seemed he hadn't even thought of trying to sleep.

"You really do need rest Hiei," Mukuro said softly but the fire demon simply looked at her and she knew it was out of the question. Hiei nestled against her chest as she lay down beside him and Mukuro held him tightly. "Try not to think about it," she whispered in his ear, "it'll only dull your wits."

"How can I not think about it?" Hiei asked angrily. "My sister's been kidnapped by a demon who'll probably torture, rape, and then sell her to another bastard that'll do just the same! That damned Atasu is a slave trader!"

Mukuro tensed at his last words and Hiei looked up at her, startled by her reaction. He suddenly remembered the night before when Yusuke had talked to them and the distant look in her eyes. She had been rubbing her wrists….

_"I can't believe that after all this time things like this would still be happening."_

"You're right Hiei," Mukuro murmured, hiding her face in his hair, "he'll treat her to a living Hell."

_To put it in more blunt terms, he became a slave-trader._

The former lord ignored Hiei's questioning gaze and held him tighter, struggling to bury the wave of emotion that had surged into her throat. Silently she willed him not to ask and to simply let it go, but she knew that wouldn't happen.

"_I fought for my freedom, even if it meant disfiguring myself..."_

A tear made the jump from her eye and slid slowly down her cheek. She cursed softly.

"_He'll treat her to a living Hell."_

Anxiously Hiei tried to search her mind to see what was wrong but the strength of the barrier he hit was enough to knock him backward. He felt her tears against his neck and tried to ignore the tightness in his own throat.

_The shackles on her wrists..._

"It was you…" Hiei said suddenly, looking up and met her eyes, which seemed only to confirm what was swirling around in his mind. "What you meant yesterday…Atasu was the one that did this to you." He touched her cheek gently, the side that was metal. "He was the one you were trying to escape from."

Suddenly all the memories of everyone that he had spoken to about Atasu came back. They had always mentioned Mukuro. Only after he used her name did Guilin concede to get the file. Kyata guessed it was Mukuro that had sent him to learn about the slaver. She had made sure he learned as much about him as he could so he would know exactly what he was up against and not underestimate him. A sudden surge of anger flowed through the fire demon. There was no way Atasu would do those things to his sister and the woman he loved and get away with it!

"I thought you would have figured it out before now," Mukuro said, startling Hiei out of his thoughts. "I figured Guilin or Kyata would have told you. I suppose not. Well you guessed right Hiei." She leaned away from him and the fire demon noticed just how much she had been scarred. "Now you know what you're up against." Her voice was cold and distant but underneath her mask Hiei could sense the painful memories unfolding in her mind.

"It's not that simple," he stated. "You know yourself it's not that simple. It took you a thousand years to forget. You can't fool me like this Mukuro," he whispered, nuzzling her softly. "You've toughened yourself to try and forget. I've done the same in so many ways so you can't hope to fool me."

"You can't live forever on what happened in the past," he continued, his hand slipping down her arm and massaging her side. "I'm not asking you to try and forget," he corrected, seeing the skeptical look in her blue eyes. "I know I won't forget right away. But this is the present."

The truth in his words cut her and she pulled him close so he wouldn't see. Never would she have guessed Hiei to say something like that but it had a powerful effect all the same. Something in the way he had spoken seemed to say "Don't worry anymore, I'll get him." Desperately she wanted to believe that; Yukina didn't deserve to suffer like she had. The ice maiden was too pure and honest for Atasu to hurt. Please don't let her end up like me, Mukuro thought, please don't let that happen.

"Don't worry," Hiei murmured, "I'll make sure I stop him. I have to survive to kick Kuwabara's ass."

Mukuro chuckled softly. "Always the fighting motive. Just be careful," she added seriously. "Don't let him find out you have connections with me." When the fire demon raised an eyebrow questioningly she said, "I was the only one to ever escape. I'm sure he's not proud of that."

"So instead of allowing me to taunt him you're forbidding me from even mentioning you?"

"That's an order Hiei," Mukuro said jokingly, catching the fire demon's wrists before he could shove her and pinning them above his head. Noting his lack of dominance Hiei glared and growled darkly under his breath as Mukuro smirked at him. "So as much as you want to taunt him, as much as you miss me while you're gone," she nuzzled him, "you're not allowed to say anything," she whispered in his ear. Annoyed that she had him pinned and that he couldn't shove her off Hiei cursed and Mukuro bit his ear teasingly.

Not being submissive by nature, the fire demon leaned up and kissed her, catching the former lord off guard. Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration he pushed her knees out and rolled her over, landing triumphantly astride her with a smirk. This new arrangement didn't seem to bother Mukuro and she allowed Hiei to kiss along her neck, shivering when she felt his tongue tracing her pulse.

In the six months of their relationship Hiei had come a long way. At first he could barely stand to be around her without blushing or looking extremely awkward. Seeing the fire demon embarrassed was hilarious for Mukuro and she would still smirk when he blushed, which was very rarely once he figured out what she was doing. Almost immediately he had installed preventive measures against any romantic nicknames and was strictly against any public displays of affection, something that Mukuro had agreed to at once. It had taken what seemed like forever for him get over the fact that she would kiss him and even longer before he would initiate one himself. They had progressed slowly for the fire demon's sake and were at the point that he would take dominance, a huge leap from his first kiss.

But he still had never indicated any wish to claim her. Mukuro would be honest; the thought of having Hiei as her mate had crossed her mind more than once. She knew that the fire demon was extremely timid in matters like these and had tried to draw subtle hints from him, never discovering any telltale signs. She considered them lovers; he didn't ("That sounds like some stupid human endearment," he had said). What she truly thought was that he was afraid of the obligation that came with a permanent relationship. Hiei had never been what most demons would consider loyal.

"Hiei that's enough," she said breathlessly and the fire demon looked up from where he had been unbuttoning her shirt, disappointed. "You have to leave early tomorrow," she said in response to his annoyed look and grudgingly the fire demon slid sideways off her hips and curled up beside her. "Don't be like that," she groaned and he looked up, rolling his eyes.

"Hn, one display of affection and you go all defensive," he murmured, nestling his head against her shoulder. "You really need to calm down."

* * *

"_Hiei! Hiei help me!" she shouted desperately, trying in vain to break the rope that bound her arms. He stared at her for a moment before the realization of what was happening sank in and he bolted for her side. Blood trickled down her neck from a wound that seemed to stretch across her throat. She would die if he didn't get there. The darkness around them was overwhelming, weighing down on him as he tried to run and making his feet drag. It had to be one of Atasu's spells and try as he might he couldn't break it. It was succeeding in taking her._

"_Hiei!" another voice shouted and his head whipped around as he recognized the voice. Behind him, seeming to grow farther and farther away before his eyes, Mukuro fought hopelessly against a heavy pair of shackles that had her wrists bound. Her shirt was staining red from a fresh chest wound and the chains around her wrists cut deeply into her arms, the blood drying on the steel. _

_Yusuke was dead, his body lying nearby covered in wounds. The Spirit Detective had fought until the end as was his style, but Atasu was much stronger than him and took joy in beating the human down. Before he had died Yusuke had made him swear that he would kill Atasu and take his body back to Spirit World, which he had hoarsely agreed to. Then the human that was the most powerful defense of Spirit World had died. Now he was the only one left and stood torn between the two, petrified by the sights._

_There was no way, even with his amazing speed, that he could reach both of them in time. Whoever he neglected would die and it would be his fault. Already the loss of blood was affecting both of them and it was only a matter of time before they passed out. He had no choice; he stood no chance of defeating Atasu without Yusuke or some form of backup. Even if he freed her Mukuro would be too weak to fight alongside him._

"_Brother please!" Yukina shouted and Hiei whipped around, staring at her. Barely standing, her face deathly pale, Yukina shouted to him again, this time much softer. Sinking to her knees, she glanced up at Hiei and locked gazes with him, her red eyes pleading._

_Blood is thicker than water…_

_Mukuro was watching him, not protesting, not trying to dissuade him from his mission. Her eyes had a deadened look in them that Hiei had only seen once before. She had given up. _

"_You shouldn't rush into death…death finds us all soon enough."_

"_No," he moaned, sinking to his knees. He couldn't chose like this. Mukuro had warned him about Atasu's tricks and he had been overconfident. Now it was too late for both of them and he would loose the only two that he had ever cared for. In the distance he could hear Atasu laughing at him and couldn't even bring himself to curse the demon. This wasn't all Atasu's fault._

_From both sides he could hear the slow breathings begin to fade and closed his eyes to try and block it out. Mukuro's once raging demon energy was nearly non-existent and Hiei heard her gasp sharply before it vanished altogether. Bitter tears stung his eyes and he looked up helplessly at Yukina, who was struggling not to choke. The ice maiden coughed and a trickle of blood dripped down her chin. After all the death he had seen Hiei knew she would be dead within a few minutes. The thought only left a deadened feeling in his heart._

_She died silently a moment later, her eyes slipping closed peacefully. The tear gem around her neck snapped from its cord and fell to the ground, where it was tainted by the pool of her blood. Hiei watched in a trance and felt his necklace snap as well, landing on the ground with a strange echo. The fire demon slowly looked down at it and saw it had cracked into three pieces: one for Yukina, one for Mukuro, and one for himself_.

* * *

"Hiei!" 

The fire demon jerked awake at the familiarity of the voice and immediately saw Mukuro staring down at him, her hand on his shoulder. He searched her face and wrists for blood and seeing none breathed a sigh or relief. That dream had been extremely vivid. Any moment he expected to look up and see her bloody and dying.

"Are you alright?" she asked anxiously, glancing him over. "You were shaking terribly. Your necklace broke," she said sadly, holding up the gem by the broken cord. Hiei stared at it for a moment with wide eyes before sinking weakly back onto the bed, the gem in his hand. Breathing heavily, he murmured, "What time is it?"

"Almost dawn," Mukuro told him and instantly he was alert, sitting up and looking around as though Yusuke would appear at any moment. "Hiei?" she asked questioningly as he stood up and crossed the room, grabbing his cloak and sword as he went. "Hiei it's not even dawn yet."

"I want to check the defenses," he said without turning around and Mukuro stared at him.

"Why?' she asked blankly. "Hiei you took care of it last night, everything's fine."

"I had a dream last night," Hiei said, turning to face her. The severity in his eyes surprised Mukuro and silenced her before she could interrupt. "I dreamt that you had been kidnapped along with Yukina. You were both severely wounded and I wasn't able to save you." Looking away, he said softly, "I don't want anything like that to happen."

For a moment Mukuro was speechless and Hiei was almost out the door when she called him back. Holding something in her hand, she took the tear gem he had tucked in his belt before he could protest and strung it on a silver chain, which she passed over his neck. The fire demon smiled slightly in gratitude and tucked the necklace inside his shirt where he could be sure nothing happened to it.

"I want you to come back, remember that," she whispered, pulling him into her arms. "No reckless chances or Yukina and I will never forgive you."

"I know," he said, "and I don't look forward to having you mad at me. Don't worry," he said reassuringly, "I'll hit him so hard he won't dare come out of hiding again."

* * *

_Awww..._

_...that's not much of a lime scene...hardly even citrus... o.O_


	9. Prisoners

_I have returned from the depths of Honor Band…(can hear a hallelujah chorus in the background) Right…._

_Hiei: (snort)_

_(Has secret plans to dress Hiei up as a monkey for Halloween :D )

* * *

_

Chapter 9: "Prisoners"

There he was, in the forest, lost by the look of things. From his post at the fortress Hiei scowled and covered his third eye with his headband. Yusuke was late. The sun had risen almost an hour ago and they should have been on their way. He should have remembered that Yusuke never did anything according to plan. What still eluded the fire demon was how he could get lost in a forest where the trees were short enough that he could still see the horizon and, when he got close enough, the palace he was searching for. This was Yusuke though and Hiei was losing his patience rapidly.

"He's in the forest," Hiei said to Mukuro as he passed on his way to the entrance hall. "He claims to want to get a head start on this, then goes and gets himself lost in the forest before we even leave…" the fire demon's voice faded away as he vanished around the corner.

Seeing Hiei's bad mood Mukuro didn't comment. Hiei had been acting strangely since he'd woken up and it worried her. He would need his wits about him if he were to survive the mission. Atasu was stronger than any demon he'd ever fought in his days with Spirit World. Honestly Mukuro wasn't sure if Hiei could defeat him. Despite whatever pride and plans for revenge that he might have had he would have to accept all the help Yusuke would give him. Even if the Spirit Detective was air-headed he was powerful when it counted.

Following the fire at a distance down to the entrance hall, Mukuro could sense Yusuke drawing close to the palace and quickened her pace. She wanted to have a few choice words with the teenager before they left. She also planned to warn him about Atasu and the fact that he had taken Yukina before Yusuke said something that set off Hiei's temper. She had noticed that even though Hiei was angry he was also trying to cover up how worried he was about his sister. He would go to irrational lengths to save her if necessary and risks weren't something they could allow. He needed some sense talked into him and soon.

Coming into the large entrance hall Mukuro spotted Hiei immediately near the opposite wall shouting at Yusuke, who looked ruffled. The fire demon noticed her presence immediately but Yusuke continued with his side of the argument, shouting, "It's not my fault, it was hell in Spirit World! That Atasu guy went and killed one of his prisoners last night!"

Mukuro froze. It seemed for a moment Hiei had been caught speechless and they both stared at Yusuke, who noticed and didn't appreciate it. The scary possibilities made Hiei's head reel. Finding his voice at last, the fire demon stepped closer so he and Yusuke were barely a foot apart and asked in a dangerously controlled voice, "Who was it?" When the human didn't answer immediately he grabbed him by the collar and growled, "Who the hell was it?"

"Relax, it's not someone we know," Yusuke said calmly but Hiei glared at him. "It was an old demon named Kyata."

Mukuro gasped and Hiei's jaw dropped as he stepped away from Yusuke, who was truly perplexed now. Shaking his head as though he could deny it and make it untrue, Hiei suddenly realized all of what the Spirit Detective had said and glanced up sharply to catch Mukuro's eye. "You said a prisoner?" Hiei asked in confirmation, watching for a response from Mukuro when Yusuke nodded. "So he was working for Atasu the whole time? And you invited a demon like that to stay in the palace?" the fire demon shot angrily at Mukuro, who didn't meet his gaze. Yusuke blinked a few times and raised an eyebrow.

"You mean this guy could have been working for you?" the Spirit Detective asked Mukuro.

"Did it never occur to you why Kyata knew so much about a demon that hasn't been seen in over a thousand years Hiei?" Mukuro asked softly and the fire demon frowned, the thought never having occurred to him. "Atasu stationed him in that village in the last few years of Senya's reign to report about the progress of a new ruler. Eventually he was granted freedom but knew he could never truly reveal himself lest he be traced back to Atasu."

"That was how he knew you," Hiei supplied, trying to remember as much as he could of his meeting with the demon the day before. "He automatically associated my wanting to know about Atasu with you. So did you know him back then…?" He didn't want to reveal too much in front of Yusuke and the bewildered look on the human's face was proof it was working.

"Kyata wasn't lying when he said how old he was," Mukuro said gently. "He was long before me."

After sitting uncharacteristically quietly Yusuke spoke for the first time. "I don't really understand what's happening here, but if this demon was quiet for so long and never bothered, then why was he suddenly murdered?"

The room was still for a few moments, each pondering the turn of events. As an idea struck him Hiei shifted uneasily and muttered, "It was because of me." Immediately the others' eyes turned on him and he cursed under his breath. "What he told me yesterday…he had probably been forbidden from ever mentioning it to anyone. I think Atasu knew about your offer for Kyata to stay at the palace," he said to Mukuro, "and also knew it was only a matter of time before the story came out. Kyata probably guessed this as well and told me because he knew Atasu was going to kill him once he got the chance. He didn't want the story to die with him."

"But we would have heard if anything had happened in the village last night," Mukuro said. "I have demons there that report to me."

"I saw a demon," Yusuke added suddenly, surprising everyone. "On my way here I ran into this demon with a spear. I didn't bother with him but he looked really suspicious."

Suddenly the missing piece clicked into place in Hiei's mind and he swallowed forcefully. "I met that demon yesterday," he admitted, groaning to himself at the memory. "He tried to stop me from entering the village. He probably recognized me and reported to Atasu, who later had him spy on Kyata. That's how he did it," the fire demon growled.

Breathing heavily, Hiei sank down against the wall and tried to think clearly. Now that their cover was blown it was only a matter of time until Atasu found them. As long as she could be used as a bargaining chip Yukina would be kept alive but they would have to be extremely careful about how they progressed. The fortress defense measures would have to do and if nothing else Mukuro could hold her own long enough for reinforcements to arrive. If he weren't so concerned about being attacked on the road Hiei would have her come with them for her own safety. Naturally Yusuke wouldn't see it that way but frankly the fire demon didn't care about the Spirit Detective's opinion. Glancing wearily up at the pair of demons watching him Hiei stood up and shouldered his cloak.

"We need to leave before Atasu tries to come after us," the fire demon said to Yusuke. Turning to Mukuro, his eyes softened slightly as he said, "I'm guessing you can hold fort without us?"

She nodded, knowing what he really meant. Catching the fire demon's eye Mukuro told him without preamble, _"He's stronger than you Hiei. Please don't do anything rash." _

"_Why would I throw away my life on some foolish chance?" _he asked sharply. _"You just keep yourself alive here." _With that the fire demon turned his back and led Yusuke to the end of the hall, where he paused. Mukuro had called him back.

"_Hiei?"_

"_Hm?"_ he asked without turning around.

"_I love you." _

* * *

Lurking just outside the fortress, reddish-brown ferret with shining aqua eyes lay motionless, as it had for hours, while it waited. Dawn had come and bathed light over the eastern wide of the palace, forcing the rodent to reposition itself in one of the few remaining shadows. Just as it was about to move again there was a flurry of motion on the fortress lawn and the animal froze, its eyes wide. Hiei had appeared on the grass and was soon joined by Yusuke, who landed dangerously close. After a moment both demons took off at a sprint across the grass toward the forest, and the ferret vanished in a small puff of smoke.

They raced north, the rodent observed, moving with great speed but remaining stealthy. From a safe distance the ferret followed them, watching their movements and predicting their course. For most of the morning they kept this extreme pace and didn't stop to rest. Both had quite amazing endurance it noted, and knew that would be a great determining factor in how long it took them to reach their destination. It was not an easy road to Atasu's palace.

Once the sun began to sink in the sky the ferret left following Hiei and curled up under a bush for the night. The fire demon and former Spirit Detective were starting to veer off-course and would soon become so far entangled in the forest they would have no choice but to turn around and approach from another angle. Such was the work of his master and it had never failed to confuse strangers.

The ferret closed its eyes and soon fell asleep, smirking mischievously.

* * *

The sun had nearly set and Hiei finally gave up for the day, too tired and frustrated to continue. They set up camp among the trees and even risked building a fire to keep passing demons away. Wearily the fire demon sank to the ground and sighed in defeat, hearing Yusuke drop his pack and sit down nearby. The Spirit Detective had kept good pace throughout the day and had been the one with enough sense to stop them for the night. If Hiei had it his way they would have continued until dawn. Yusuke could never understand his motive to keep going.

Something had been bothering the fire demon while they were traveling and it had taken him a while to place it. It put him on edge and once he had even been overt enough to glance behind him to make sure they weren't being followed. Briefly he had seen a flash of red fur in the bushes and just figured it was a fox that they had disturbed. His senses were starting to play tricks on him and by the time they made camp he was almost totally dependant on Yusuke to determine what was reality and what he was imagining. He'd given up on trying to explain it to the Spirit Detective; Yusuke just thought he was crazy.

"You still hallucinating over there?" Yusuke asked and Hiei jumped, his hand freezing mere centimeters from his sword.

Groaning under his breath the fire demon leaned back against a tree and closed his eyes. He was stressing, he knew it; there was no other explanation for this. With the weight of Mukuro and Yukina's lives on his shoulders and having to defeat Atasu at the same time it was a wonder he didn't have a nervous breakdown. His lack of sleep was also catching up with him, along with the fact that he'd snapped at Mukuro before he left.

"Wow you need to like relax or something," Yusuke commented, looking up from where he had been testing the edge of his knife. "You look like Kuwabara when he's half-asleep."

"Shut up Yusuke," the fire demon snapped, glaring at him. Without knowing it the Spirit Detective had hit a sore spot and Hiei looked away, swallowing forcefully against the swell of emotion in his throat. Without realizing his hand had gone to the tear gem around his neck and he fingered it nervously. When his fingers brushed another, much smaller chair at his throat he paused and ran his thumb over its pendant, drawing Yusuke's attention.

"What's that?" he asked, leaning closer to try and look. Quickly Hiei tucked both necklaces inside his collar and moved away, but Yusuke was too quick for him and caught the fire demon in a choke. For a moment Hiei wrestled half-heartedly against him but gave up when the Spirit Detective's hand closed around the chain.

For a moment Yusuke gazed at the pendant in his hand before Hiei took advantage of his loosened hold and threw him off. Glaring at Yusuke the fire demon took his place at the base of the tree and shot dark looks at the Spirit Detective. Yusuke sat near the fire and brushed away the dirt his fall had smeared across his shirt, but there was a triumphant gleam in his eye that Hiei didn't like. Casually he tossed more sticks on the fire before making himself comfortable.

For a while they sat there, Hiei occasionally shooting warning glances over his shoulder at Yusuke, who decided it was time to speak his mind. "You're in love with her aren't you?"

"What?" the fire demon asked, though he was dangerously suspicious that Yusuke had caught on.

"That pendant is pure silver," Yusuke said, still casual despite how dangerous the situation could become. "The emblem on it is the symbol for Mukuro's territory. The fact that despite how much you insisted you hated it you stayed with her after the tournament; the way she looked at you before we left; they're all signals Hiei."

"You like to think you know what you're talking about Yusuke," Hiei snarled, but the realization of how obvious each of these things must have been scared him.

* * *

_Ok, that's all I can force out at the moment…I know, it's frustrating, but I lost motivation halfway through and with my audition and stuff it's been hard…but I can do better from now on. _


	10. Blood Rivals

_OMG, I updated! I suppose there's really no excuse for taking so long and I had to get this posted before I left for South Africa. I'm really losing motivation, and though I will finish this story somehow, I probably won't be writing anymore fanfics._

_A/N: Remember, dialogue in italics is Hiei using his Jagan

* * *

_

Chapter 10: Blood Rivals

Watching the last embers burning down on their fire, the amber glow shining in his crimson eyes, Hiei ignored the burning need for sleep. Judging from the position of the moon it was almost midnight, and the sun would rise in a few hours. Then they would continue on their journey, whether or not the fire demon had managed any sleep. It would be another, possibly even longer, day ahead of them and Hiei hoped they could cover the most ground that day. He still was slightly unsure of where they were going, but the road they were on lead through Kyata's village and he hoped to stop there to see for himself what had happened to the old demon.

"You won't make it a mile if you don't rest," the fire demon muttered angrily to himself and shifted his position against the tree. Across the camp Yusuke had fallen asleep with his head propped on his pack, and Hiei flicked an acorn at him, not succeeding in waking the Spirit Detective up. Cursing bitterly under his breath, Hiei turned away.

The night passed incredibly slowly and when Hiei finally managed to fall asleep he kept tossing around, coming dangerously close to hitting his head against the tree. Though he didn't wake up, every time he heard something rustle in the leaves he would shift, his hand inching toward his sword. The wind that had been blowing around dusk had slowed so it was almost nonexistent and the clouds had left with it, exposing a nearly full moon through the trees. Pale trails of moonlight shone down on the camp, lingering over the remnants of their fire and catching the light of their blades. Unknown to Hiei, who was asleep at the time, the moon's reflection off his sword was shining off through the trees, acting as a beacon for the small scavenging demons that stalked the forest by night.

Right in the middle of a particularly nice dream Yusuke felt something brush by his arm and jerked awake. For a moment he was unable to see anything in the darkness and groped for his knife. Gradually as his eyes adjusted he was able to make out a figure moving in the darkness and rose slowly into a crouch. With each step toward it his vision was becoming clearer, and just before he swung the demon spotted him and ducked away from where it had been trying to gnaw through their packs.

Its yellow eyes glaring at him, the demon snatched Hiei's hunting knife and started circling Yusuke, who suddenly realized how much smaller it was than him. Smirking, the Spirit Detective poked at him with his knife and blinked a few times when his strike was abruptly parried. His attempt had angered the small demon, which charged at him, startling Yusuke and causing him to throw out his knife to block. The clang of their weapons awoke Hiei, who sat up with a start and looked around anxiously. The fire demon spotted Yusuke first and was about to snap at him for playing with his blade when he noticed the demon. Grabbing his sword, Hiei slit its throat swiftly from behind and glared at Yusuke, who was looking at him sheepishly.

"I'm not even going to ask what you were doing," the fire demon said as he wiped the blood of his sword and slid it into its scabbard. Yusuke handed him the knife the demon had grabbed and Hiei tucked it through his belt. "What time is it?" the fire demon murmured, glancing up at the sky. The moon had nearly sunk beyond their field of view.

"So should we just set out now?" Yusuke asked, having also glanced up.

Hiei shook his head. "We still probably have two hours at least until the sun begins to rise and until dawn its better to stay in one place. It's much easier to become disoriented in the trees in the dark."

Yusuke nodded, sinking back onto the ground. "Hiei?" he asked, glancing up at the fire demon, who looked down at him. "How the hell do you know where we're going?"

"Do you have to ask questions?" Hiei snapped, rolling his eyes. When Yusuke didn't flinch or back down he sighed and said, "Mukuro knew a few things about Atasu that gave us a good idea. I did some research with Spirit World before we left. Did you think I would just charge into this blind? Atasu already has enough of an advantage; we don't need to handicap ourselves even more."

* * *

It was worse than either of them had expected. Smoldering embers were still scattered in the streets and ash blew in the air. None of the wooden buildings had been left intact, all having been either dismantled or burned. Surprisingly there seemed to be very few dead, but that thought was changed abruptly when Yusuke and Hiei reached the other side of the village and nearly stumbled into a scorched pile of bodies. The fire demon came upon the scene first and froze, his heart jumping into this throat. Behind him Yusuke moaned softly and ducked into the trees. Hiei ignored him and fought back his own repulsion as he took a closer look at the bodies of the demons.

"I don't think Kyata's here," he said finally and Yusuke looked up questioningly. The Spirit Detective brushed away the trail of sweat along his cheek and stood by Hiei's side.

"So what do we do now?" Yusuke asked.

Hiei sighed. "I had wanted to get so much information here. We're back where we started now." The fire demon was about to turn away when he noticed a flicker of movement in the bushes next to them and he narrowed his eyes. Closing his hand over the hilt of his sword the fire demon waited a second and was rewarded when he saw it again from his left, this time accompanied by a flash of red fur.

"Did you--?" Yusuke began, but Hiei cut him off with a glare and turned to leave. Grudgingly the Spirit Detective followed him and when they were back on the road Hiei turned to him, his Jagan eye glowing slightly.

"What are you doing?" Yusuke asked nervously.

Hiei smiled dangerously, looking like he had when Yusuke first met him, back in the days when he was an outlaw. _"You just watch,"_ the fire demon told him smugly and in the next second had vanished. Immediately Yusuke glanced around, trying to spot where his companion had teleported to, and a moment later he saw the fire demon reappear in the trees, something held triumphantly in his hand. Blinking, Yusuke shook his head and was ready with a sharp retort when Hiei was close enough to hear him.

"We're not that desperate for food Hiei," the teenager joked, rolling his eyes as he looked over the animal in the fire demon's hand. Hiei, however, did not see humor in this comment and drew his knife, pointing it at the ferret's throat, which tried to claw at him and glared through its cyan eyes. The tip of the blade barely nicked the animal's neck and it froze immediately, its eyes tracing every movement of the knife.

"This doesn't cause me any regret," Hiei told it, pressing the knife against its throat. "There are two ways this can happen; an easy way…and a hard way, which would be much more pleasurable for me and a lot messier for you. How will you have us do it?"

Sensing the futility of its situation the ferret snarled and vanished in a puff of black smoke. Yusuke looked skeptical but Hiei smirked in satisfaction, and a moment later a demon took the ferret's place. Long black bangs shadowed the demon's cyan eyes and his red ponytail blew in the breeze. A sword hung at his hip and when they saw it both Yusuke and Hiei tensed, the fire demon reaching for his own weapon and a light blue aura starting to appear around the Spirit Detective's hands.

"Well I must say it's been a while Hiei," the demon said finally, trying to keep a pleasant tone, but Hiei's sharp glare killed his smile.

"I can't say we ended on the most civil terms," the fire demon added, and he couldn't help but smirk as the ferret demon bristled at the remark. "Now I expect you'll make this easy for us Khiva. What are you doing here?"

Khiva shrugged. "Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that. We ferrets have been around."

Hiei growled, and at the next moment the ferret found a sword pressed to his throat. "Don't play games with me," the fire demon snarled.

"Well, you've been training," Khiva said softly, his smooth words dripping with venomous hatred.

"I have to protect her," Hiei countered in a whisper, and he ducked out of the way as the ferret demon swiped at him with his sharp claws.

Chuckling under his breath, Hiei held his sword ready and Khiva drew his weapon so both demons stood in a face off. Off to the side Yusuke was watching the scene in disbelief, but he backed away when he sensed the massive energy levels the two demons were emitting. Hiei had never looked so tensed for a fight, his eyes harder than diamonds as they calculated his opponent. Each of his steps was precise, as though one wrong move could end it for him. Yusuke didn't know it yet, but that was perfectly true.

"Are you just going to stand and watch me?" Khiva asked tauntingly, smirking at the fire demon.

Underneath his placid exterior Hiei's temper was starting to rise, though he checked himself. He knew Khiva was trying to distract him so he could attack, and Hiei wouldn't let the ferret have the satisfaction of one of his plans actually working. Instead, the fire demon focused all his anger and energy into the sword in his hands, which had begun to heat up. The seal of Mukuro's territory burned red as the metal began to glow a fiery orange, heated almost to its melting point. Smiling cruelly, his blade casting a glow over his face, Hiei stared Khiva down.

"If you're so eager, why don't you come and get me?" Hiei questioned, flicking his tongue over one of his fangs. "But then again, I was the one that picked this fight. I suppose I've earned the honor," he corrected. Khiva could only smile cautiously, not sure what the fire demon had planned.

Then suddenly Hiei flickered out of view, and Khiva tensed, immediately looking up and around to try and spot him. Hidden in one of the branches of a nearby tree, Hiei sensed his opportunity when Khiva had his back turned and jumped down, swinging just before he landed. At the last possible second the ferret demon had noticed him and tried to leap away, but forward momentum and his strength backed Hiei's strike and the blade grazed Khiva's shoulder. Hiei landed in a midst of scorched flesh and hair and spit disgustedly on the ground.

"Sly bastard," Khiva groaned, his hand clasped tightly against his shoulder. The cut had almost been too perfect, just deep enough to bother him, and with a smoking burn around it his mobility of the arm was limited. Biting part of his shirt he tore off a strip and looped it around his arm, tying it off with his teeth. "You'll pay for that Hiei," he whispered.

Behind his calm exterior Hiei's mind was going double-time. He knew Khiva, knew him as a rival at least, and he knew there was always some motive behind anything Khiva did. What had brought him here was a question that made Hiei uneasy, though he wouldn't let it show. A murder wouldn't have interested him much, so Kyata's death would have been only a minor detail. Though, the village had been raided not long after, and if he recalled Atasu had ordered Kyata's assassination. Could that be the connection? But then, how did Khiva tie in at all?

"Why so quiet all of a sudden Hiei?" Khiva asked. "You can't be scared. You would never let me see if you were." The fire demon was watching him, staring him down almost, just as the ferret had hoped he would.

"I hope you don't think we're intimidated by that!" Yusuke shouted suddenly, turning Khiva's attention his direction. Rolling his eyes Hiei turned as well and gave the Spirit Detective a very deliberate look that he missed completely.

"Who's your human friend?" Khiva asked Hiei amusedly There was a mocking note in his voice, and just for a second Hiei got the feeling that Khiva honestly couldn't sense Yusuke's demon half. That was a fact that he couldn't afford to overlook.

"Don't you know? I know it's been a while but he should be somewhat familiar," Hiei replied silkily, suddenly remembering too late that Khiva hadn't attended the Demon World Tournament. The ferret had been encouraged to fight by many of the demons in the area, but at the last minute had been sent on a mission for Mukuro. Briefly Hiei wondered if the demon lord had done it on purpose to prevent him from competing.

"I would think a powerful demon like yourself would have seen me in action," Yusuke said to Khiva, a comment Hiei would have slapped him for, but it did seem the ferret had caught on. Looking up at Yusuke through narrowed eyes, Khiva turned to Hiei and blocked the human out completely.

"What are you doing Hiei?" he asked dangerously, all the prior poise and control he had vanishing almost immediately. "Did you think you could rush to this village's rescue? Or are you wishing to pay your respects over their dead bodies? Neither, as you can clearly see, is possible. I suggest you take your human friend and go back to Mukuro's palace to spare Lord Atasu the trouble of dealing with you."

"Lord?" Hiei questioned, instinctively gripping his sword tighter and raising it to a more threatening position. "So how long have you been taking orders from him?" As a few memories came back the connections started to form in Hiei's mind and he added, "Was it before or after you tried to take Mukuro back with you?"

Resuming his battle stance, Khiva once again began to circle Hiei, who was forced to match him step for step. "After," the ferret replied, "though it would have pleased him greatly if I had brought back such a trophy." Blocking the swift stroke Hiei sent toward his stomach, Khiva smirked. "You didn't like that did you? You can fantasize all you like, but you're foolish to think you're her first. I heard Lord Atasu had always liked her the most," he added smugly.

Unable to stop himself, Hiei jumped at Khiva, who was expecting the attack and dodged easily. Venomous hate surging through every nerve in his body, Hiei forgot that Khiva was a demon of subtler techniques. He forgot all the wit he needed when he fought him. Most importantly, he forgot to duck, so he took the kick the ferret demon countered with full in the face. Crashing to the ground and kicking up a large cloud of dirt Hiei watched the trees above him swim for a moment before he could regain his balance to sit up. Khiva was watching him smugly, pleased that he had prompted such an outburst.

Unsure whether Hiei would kill him if he butted in, Yusuke stood helplessly and watched the battle unfold. It was difficult for him to watch Hiei get beat so badly and when, for the third time, the fire demon ran head-on into the ferret's waiting kick the Spirit Detective couldn't stand it. Not caring why they were fighting and that he had no part of it, Yusuke charged, and though Khiva was able to move out of the way at the last minute the teenager still managed to land a punch in his chest. From his place on the ground Hiei watched angrily as Yusuke took his fight, but his head was throbbing and rising to his feet made the ground waver.

"You're not so tough," Yusuke said after he and Khiva had gone blow for blow for a few minutes. "I don't know what you have on Hiei, but there's nothing you can say that will stop me from kicking your ass."

"Lord Atasu's at the palace," Khiva said abruptly, and Yusuke blinked for a moment as he stared at him. Hiei sat up so quickly he had to swallow back a wave of nausea.

"What did you say?" he asked hoarsely.

"You heard me," Khiva said triumphantly. "Lord Atasu should nearly be at the palace gates by now. And he's not the only one. Don't," he said to Yusuke, who looked as though he was about attack again. Looking back to Hiei, Khiva whispered so only the fire demon could hear him, "He intends to take away the only two people you truly care about."

Looking up at him, confident he was bluffing, Hiei shook slightly from the sadistically happy smile Khiva wore. The ferret didn't even try and shield his mind as Hiei's Jagan anxiously searched his thoughts, and it didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. Suddenly feeling as though he would faint, the fire demon collapsed on his hands and knees, breathing heavily. Across the clearing Yusuke was watching him anxiously, and it only took one look from the fire demon to confirm that Khiva was indeed telling the truth.

"_Go back there,"_ Hiei said anxiously to Yusuke, who jumped slightly at the fire demon's presence in his thoughts.

"I'll never make it in time," Yusuke argued. "You're faster."

"_Not like this. Besides, I…I don't have the strength to fight Atasu like this."_

Yusuke blinked. He had never heard Hiei doubt himself before. "What will you do?" He asked, slightly scared by Hiei's words. His hands were shaking and he closed them into fists, thoroughly rattled. Never had he seen Hiei like this, on the brink of defeat, desperately trying his final options.

"_Yusuke, I don't care if this stupid demon beats me senseless," _Hiei said. _"Mukuro and Yukina are in the palace. If you don't go after them Atasu will kill them both. Please Yusuke,"_ he pleaded, looking up at the teenager.

Something inside Yusuke wavered when he saw how desperately Hiei was looking at him. Never, in the years that he had known him, had Hiei asked for a favor from him, not even once. Now he was pleading for him to do this, and there was no way the Spirit Detective could call himself a person if he refused. Nodding slightly the teenager looked away, unable to look at Hiei's weak eyes any longer.

"What are you two doing?" Khiva asked, growing suspicious by Hiei's long silence. Glancing from the fire demon to Yusuke and back, the ferret smiled ever so slightly in comprehension. Never would he have considered Hiei strong enough to ask for help, but the fire demon was constantly surprising him.

"_Go Yusuke!" _Hiei shouted as Khiva stepped closer and kicked him onto his side. With one final glance the Spirit Detective turned and sprinted through the trees, leaving Hiei alone with his worst rival.

"Well," Khiva murmured as he watched Yusuke run, "I guess this leaves you and me then, doesn't it Hiei?" The fire demon knew better than to even acknowledge the question. Taking a seat on a rock nearby Khiva crossed his legs and watched Hiei for a moment in amusement. "So this is how the oh-so-great warrior of Mukuro's falls; on his knees like a weak human. Rather fitting isn't it?"

Glaring at the ground, Hiei tried in vain to block out Khiva's taunts. A part of him (the part closest to his throbbing head) was actually agreeing with the ferret. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book, and one that he often used himself, but yet he had fallen for it and let himself be angered and intimidated. Now what? He had told Yusuke to leave, so if he was to win this battle he would have to do it on his own.

Deciding it would be better for him to be beaten on his feet than on his knees like he was now, Hiei leaned heavily against his sword and stood up, wavering for a minute on the spot. Across from him Khiva smiled, glad that he was at least trying to put up a fight. After all, the ferret couldn't kill an enemy cowering before him; it would make him look like a bully. Deciding he would give the fire demon a moment to get his balance, Khiva leaned against a tree and crossed his arms.

"So is your friend off to Mukuro's castle?" The ferret demon asked, pretty sure of the answer.

"No," Hiei said, surprisingly confident despite his weakness. It was obvious Khiva didn't believe him, so the fire demon added, "I know Yusuke, and though he will go looking for a fight he won't go out of his way to try and help someone he doesn't know."

"Is that so?" Khiva murmured.

"He's gone back to Spirit World," Hiei lied again. "It shouldn't be long before he returns with about 1oo bounty hunters from the SDF. If I remember, you're quite popular with them."

For a moment the ferret studied him. "Do you expect me to be intimidated?" he asked. "Your friend is gone and you're weak enough to be killed in one shot."

"But will you kill me?" Hiei asked, starting to feel more confident now that his strength was returning. "You know yourself that I could contact them in an instant and you could be captured before you left this clearing. If I were you, I would wait it out. Who do you think I see as a bigger threat?" Smirking, Hiei finished his own question. "Between you and Atasu, it's definitely not you."

The smile had faded slight from Khiva's face and he looked as though he was considering what Hiei had said. Meanwhile, the fire demon was gauging his energy and trying to figure out the easiest way he could cripple Khiva and escape.

"Everything you said sounds good Hiei," Khiva said, and his sadistic smirk had returned. "But I still think it would be best if I just killed you."

The ferret jumped and Hiei traced his path to the ground in a split second. Khiva probably thought him too weak to move, but he was wrong. Just before his rival landed Hiei hopped backward and swung his sword upward, catching Khiva below the jaw and sending him sprawling the other way. The rapid change in direction had temporarily knocked the demon senseless, and Hiei stood over him.

"How will you escape Khiva?" he asked. No response. Knowing only a small part of the ferret's brain was functioning properly and would only process part of what he said, Hiei whispered, "I think you should transform. It's much easier to slip away when you're smaller. Change back to your true form."

In a puff of smoke the ferret changed, and immediately Hiei stabbed the animal just below its shoulder. Ignoring the squeak of pain, the fire demon drove the blade deep into the ground and tested it for resistance. It didn't move. Satisfied, he formed several fire balls from his remaining energy and bound them to his sword.

"Can you sense these?" Hiei asked the ferret, and took the small twitch of its ear to mean yes. "These will explode on impact. If you try and transform they will shred your body to pieces. You wait here until I get back."

Turning away, Hiei faced the horizon where he knew Mukuro's castle would soon become visible. "I'm on my way Mukuro," he whispered.

* * *


	11. Darkness

_Here it is. For everyone that send me pleading reviews, you can stop hyperventilating now._

* * *

"Why He Chose to Stay"

Chapter 11: Darkness

It was after midnight when the guard around the palace started to relax. Since Hiei left with strict orders to protect their lord at any cost they had been alertly manning their posts. That had been almost 12 hours ago, and there hadn't been a sound. Knowing the shift would change soon and they could get some well-deserved sleep, the guards let their weapons slip in their hands and started to talk softly among themselves, something they knew was directly against their orders.

It was stupid, of course, as Hiei would say. And it cost them.

Before anyone knew what was happening, their world was dark. Demons tried to scream, but their voices were lost in the suffocating darkness. Invisible bonds pinned their arms to their sides and their swords to the ground. Biting and snapping, they struggled for all they were worth, but to no effect. This power was beyond them and anything they had ever heard of. Then, in a burst of panic, the demons began scrambling and scratching anything within reach. Without warning their breathing failed them, and they could feel the air being forced out by their collapsing lungs. No one could scream, though they wouldn't have been heard, and in the darkness they couldn't see each other, though the sight of blood and saliva trickling from their un-breathing mouths would have petrified them.

So this was what death felt like…

* * *

He couldn't stop, not yet, not until he reached the palace. And then he would only have to go faster. This thought coursed through Hiei's mind like a drug as he sprinted for all he was worth through the forest. Yusuke was ahead of him, but the Spirit Detective had no idea what they would find when they reached the palace. If he guessed right, all the guards would be slaughtered in Atasu's hunt for Mukuro. Anyone that stood in his way would be killed; that had been proven with his handling of Kyata and the village. It was all part of Atasu's plan at the most ultimate revenge.

Finally! He could see the towers of the palace on the horizon and quickened his pace. As he grew closer and the trees thinned he could see a dark mist hanging over the fortress and his eyes narrowed in confusion. That could only mean Atasu had already reached there. Feeling his breath start to catch in his throat, Hiei ignored the burning in his legs and pushed himself even faster, nothing more than a black blur through the trees.

"_Yusuke! Where are you?"_ he screamed desperately through his mental connection with the Spirit Detective. A moment passed in silence and his racing pulse skipped a beat. Had Yusuke already been beaten…or worse…? No, he couldn't think like that. The Spirit Detective was almost unstoppable…almost…

"_I'm inside,"_ the teenager replied finally in a hurried voice, and Hiei sighed loudly in relief. _"Though…Hiei I've never seen anything like this before. Get your ass up here fast!"_

"_I'm on it!"_ he said, then broke the connection, a new unease settling in the pit of his stomach. He had never heard Yusuke sound so afraid.

Leaping up into the fortress' second floor, Hiei stopped and looked around. It was deathly silent; none of the guards were at their stations, and there was no sign of Mukuro or Yusuke. Or Atasu for that matter, though it was obvious from the ominous presence hanging in the air that he was somewhere nearby. Starting to get nervous again, Hiei turned a corner and almost tripped over a pair of bodies. That answered the question of security. The guards' weapons still remained by their bodies, and Hiei grabbed a sword to replace the one he had left with Khiva. He thought nothing of finding two dead demons until he stepped in a pool of blood and winced. There were no obvious wounds on them; what had happened?

"Hiei!"

The fire demon's head shot up and he took off at a sprint, the guards instantly leaving his mind at the Spirit Detective's voice. Not far around the palace side Yusuke was standing, waiting for him with a pair of demons. Apparently these were still alive, because they were moving, though as Hiei studied them he realized they didn't move like any living thing he'd ever seen before. Yusuke keep his distance, looking extremely wary and almost panicked.

"What the hell is wrong with these guys?" the teenager asked when Hiei stopped by his side. "It's almost like they're being tortured…but what the hell is it?" It was unusual for Yusuke to swear so much unless he was extremely stressed, Hiei noted nervously. The Spirit Detective needed to keep his head or he was as good as done for.

Then, before their eyes, the two demons suddenly began to writhe uncontrollably, shrieking and scratching the floor desperately with their claws. Hiei winced and Yusuke's hands flew to cover his ears. In small streams blood began to flow from their mouths and over their lips, spilling onto the floor along with their thick saliva. Neither could scream anymore, and almost simultaneously collapsed, their lungs crushed and bodies limp. For a moment neither Yusuke nor Hiei moved, petrified by the scene. Then, slowly, their consciousness seemed to come back and they gladly turned away from the gruesome sight.

"So is that going to happen to us too?" Yusuke asked nervously, looking down at Hiei. "...Hiei?"

The fire demon ignored him and continued to stare at the wall, not seeing it. In his mind he kept watching the demons die. Then they morphed into Yukina and Mukuro, with blood spilling down their faces as the light left their eyes. He knew his body was shaking but couldn't force the image away from his mind. Neither of them had any idea at the time, but this was Atasu's greatest power, and would become their greatest weakness. Their time in Human World had dulled the ruthlessness they would need to match the demon. Would they die like that too, unable to do anything?

"Come on Hiei," Yusuke said, almost pleadingly. He needed the fire demon's level-headedness right now.

At his companion's voice the vision vanished, and Hiei looked up at the Spirit Detective with glassy eyes. "Do you know what happened to them?" he asked, surprising Yusuke with the abruptness of the question. "They were suffocated. Atasu's demon energy is so strong over the palace that it choked them."

"Then why are we okay?" Yusuke asked softly.

With a desperate look from Hiei, he knew the answer. They were both still extremely strong even compared to the high-level demons on guard that night. Hiei's look said blatantly, "Only the strongest survive." What the Spirit Detective couldn't tell from the fire demon's look was the new feeling of panic that was rising in him. Mukuro was a strong demon, once a ruler of Demon World, so she would survive the longest of any of them. He and Yusuke would hold out for quite a while as well before they succumbed to the power. But Yukina…no one knew how long she would last, if she wasn't already dead.

"We need to go, now!" Hiei said suddenly, and without waiting for a response took off. He didn't need any directions; Atasu's presence was so strong he could sense his position in the castle.

The innermost chambers of the palace were restricted only to Mukuro, her infrequent guests, and lately Hiei. As he dashed down the hallways that led deeper into the center of the palace, Yusuke in tow a few steps behind him, Hiei's emotions wavered between desperate and furious. He was almost positive he was being led to Mukuro's private chambers. It would be the perfect place to end this nightmare tale. And what would the end be? Would this be the last chapter in Hiei's life? When he thought of Yukina and Mukuro in Atasu's possession, knowing he would be fighting for more than his life against the demon, Hiei couldn't think of a better way to end it.

The ruthless strategist in Hiei begged him to think rationally. As a hostage, Yukina was only good alive. If Atasu killed her he would lose his leverage over Hiei. On the same note, he wouldn't allow her to be killed while he exterminated all the other demons in the palace.

They came to Mukuro's chambers and Hiei stopped outside. He couldn't sense anything beyond the door, but then again demon energy was always distorted this deep in the palace. The only times he had ever been in here were when Mukuro had accompanied him, and he had no idea what kind of traps she had set outside the door. Of course, Atasu would have had no problem in getting through them so long as he had her with him. As he studied the door, Yusuke paced around behind him.

"Hiei?" the Spirit Detective said tentatively.

"What?" the fire demon snapped so harshly that Yusuke winced slightly.

"I…I think we're in the wrong place," he murmured timidly. As Hiei stared at him, his glare demanding that he continue, Yusuke said, "I don't think there's anyone on the other side of that door." Now more confident, he continued, "I'm pretty sure I can sense a really powerful energy farther in."

"Pretty sure doesn't cut it Yusuke!" Hiei growled, his nerves at the breaking point. Then, as what the Spirit Detective said registered with him, his glare softened and was replaced with puzzlement. "We're in the heart of the palace," he said slowly, but as he said it he knew that wasn't true. There was one other place, somewhere he had never gone but no doubt existed.

"Come on Yusuke," Hiei shouted as he threw all his weight against the door. It was an extremely stupid maneuver, but surprisingly fate seemed to be on his side and the door flew open.

There was one other place they could be that was in the darkest bowels of the palace. As long as he had stayed there Hiei had heard horror stories about the chamber that lay beneath the ground under the palace, but he had never thought to investigate for himself. Now it would seem he had no choice in the matter. The only things that he knew for sure were that the passage underground started from a trapdoor in Mukuro's chambers, and that any demons that were taken there never returned.

"We're looking for a trapdoor," Hiei said quickly to Yusuke, who had been looking around the room in awe. "Now Yusuke," the fire demon shouted, making his companion hastily drop the cloak he had found on Mukuro's bed. Only later would he realize it was Hiei's.

Again luck was on their side and a moment later Yusuke gave a cry as he found the door hidden under a mat. Shoving past him, Hiei threw it open and was hit with such a foul stench he stepped back. The passage was dark, but there was no mistake; Atasu's demon energy hung here stronger than they had ever felt.

"This is it Yusuke," Hiei said, turning to him. The Spirit Detective wore a solemn look, knowing there would be no turning back. This was the battle they had come for, and they would battle with everything they had. "I just think you should know," Hiei added, "that for as much as a pain in the ass you are, you're not a bad guy."

In spite of their grave situation both smiled slightly, and Hiei grabbed a candle from its mount on the wall. One last look at Yusuke confirmed what he needed to know; the Spirit Detective wasn't going anywhere. They would fight, and probably die, together. It was the last battle of the strongest Spirit Detectives the worlds had ever seen. Lighting the candle with a wave of his hand, Hiei took a deep breath and stepped into the overwhelming darkness.

* * *

_You know, inadvertently this is sounding a lot like Enishi's "jinchu" from the final story arc of Rurouni Kenshin. Anyone that noticed, I'm sorry, I really didn't mean it that way. (Bows in apology)_

_And I know it's been ages since I updated, and I got this really pleading review, so I figured I couldn't hold out forever…you caught me you guys…_


	12. Blood in the Dark

Chapter 12: "Blood in the Dark" 

Pale ruby eyes opened and closed a few times, trying to take in the blurry surroundings. It was extremely dark apart from a few torches lit at random intervals. There was too much distance between them to clearly see anything else, but she could weakly sense the presence of another person, a weak demon by the feel of it. Turning her head even though she knew it would be no use, Yukina jumped slightly when she spotted the demon chained to the wall next to her.

The ice maiden didn't recognize her, for she didn't follow Demon World politics. She had bright orange hair that defied her bandanna and hung limply over her eyes. Her clothes were torn and dirty, as though she had been dragged forcefully. It startled Yukina to see that the other demon was chained to the wall, while she remained unbound. The shackles were beginning to rub sores into her wrists, wrists that were already scarred from the same treatment. She was unconscious at the moment, but Yukina surprisingly didn't feel any fear about what would happen when she woke. As far as the ice demon was concerned they were meant to work together.

A noise far off echoed to them, giving Yukina some idea of the size of the chamber they were in. The sounds, like something metal hitting stone, continued to grow louder until the ice demon thought she saw a shadow move across one of the torches. She shuddered, not knowing why. Though Yukina didn't recognize it for what it was, the cold chill that had seemed to creep into her was the most powerful demon energy she had ever felt. Her mind was playing tricks on her as she thought she saw another shadow, and instinctively she pressed closer to the wall.

There was a soft sigh, this time coming from beside her. The demon Yukina had thought to be unconscious beside her shifted and raised her head slowly. A spark of recognition flickered through the ice maiden's mind, but before she could place it a soft rasping sound distracted her. It seemed the demon was trying to speak.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, her voice harsh from the effort it took to talk. All the time she continued to stare into the darkness.

"No," Yukina answered timidly. "What's going on? Why are you chained?" she asked, the question having slipped out from her burning curiosity.

Surprisingly the demon chuckled slightly. "Do you know who I am?" she asked. The ice maiden shook her head, surprised by the question. "At one time I was one of the strongest in Demon World," she said. "I ruled a third of it. It would seem I'm still viewed as a threat." She smirked sardonically at that. "But I know who you are, Yukina. Indeed I've heard quite a bit about you."

"Really?" Yukina was puzzled, but she didn't have time to ponder it before the former ruler of Demon World spoke again.

"You have healing powers right?" she asked, not demandingly but as though she was curious.

"Yes."

"Those will come in handy." She closed her eyes, waiting for Yukina to voice her puzzlement. "There's going to be a battle," she said. "Everyone will be fighting for their lives, I included. We'll need your powers desperately when that time comes."

"I…I don't understand," Yukina said slowly, a trace of nervousness in her voice. "I don't want to be in a battle."

For the first time her companion looked up at her, and Yukina gasped softly when she saw a robotic eye and metallic parts on the far side of her face, partially covered by her hair. And then, in a flash, she recognized her. "There's a time when the line between what you want and what you have to do disappears."

* * *

As they descended farther and farther into the heavy darkness neither fighter said a word. So intent on what they were about to do, Hiei didn't notice his body heat slowly but surely rising around him. The faint fiery glow from the demon's body had scared Yusuke at first, who kept as much distance as he could without stepping out of the dim candlelight. The Spirit Detective himself was nervous, but he could tell from his aura that Hiei was almost excited. It was the prospect of battle that brought out another part of the fire demon that Yusuke rarely saw, one that scared him.

After walking for what seemed like ages in the darkness, Hiei and Yusuke found the tunnel starting to narrow around them. They were close now; both of them could feel the thick demon energy in the air and it snuffed out their candle.

It took Yusuke a moment to adjust to the new darkness, but Hiei could see perfectly, and he saw with narrowed eyes that they were coming to a door. Suddenly he felt a feeling so strong surge through him that he stopped dead, scaring Yusuke behind him. Unable to believe it, Hiei looked down at his hand that was still holding the brass candleholder, which was trembling ever so slightly. Was he actually afraid? Of course, he told himself, but this feeling of dread and exasperation was new to him. He was petrified. In all of his battles for Spirit World he'd never felt this before. Not when he fought Yusuke for the first time, not in the Dark Tournament, not even against Sensui or Mukuro's demons. Back then he'd had his dragon to give him confidence. The tattoo on his arm seemed nothing more than that as he stood looking at the wooden door in front of them and the destiny beyond it.

"Do we go in?" Yusuke asked quietly.

Hiei nodded. "We have no choice," he said bitterly. "Even if we turned back now, we've come too far for Atasu to just leave us alone." Reaching out, he grasped the door handle firmly, having a steady hand for the first time. Without waiting for indecision to set in, he pulled it open.

* * *

At least a thousand questions swamped any other thoughts Yukina might have had as she sat there in the darkness with Mukuro. Finally, she couldn't stand it and asked, "Where are we?"

The demon lord sighed and shook her arms wearily, causing the chains to rattle. "We're in my palace," she said softly. "Under it at least. This is a torture chamber. Just be glad you can't see it."

The words had the effect she intended; Yukina fell silent and stared nervously around her, trying to see through the darkness. Mukuro didn't have to see to know what was down there. Usually she avoided it, but there had been times she had even carried out some of the tortures that took place here. Thoughts of what Atasu would do to them had gone through her mind many times, but she didn't voice any of her concerns to keep Yukina calm for the time. Soon there would be no denying the reality of their situation.

The briefest flicker of a shadow moved across her vision and instantly Mukuro was alert. Yukina hadn't noticed it, but the demon lord thought she could hear the soft patter of footsteps coming toward them. In the dim light she could barely make out the outline of a demon on the other side of the chamber, and she shuddered. Yukina noticed and looked up.

"Don't say a word," Mukuro ordered before she could even open her mouth. "Don't look at him and don't say anything if you want him to keep you alive."

For the demon lord had no doubt now that the demon coming toward them was Atasu. His demon energy had a familiar tone to it, though it had changed considerably. There was no doubt he was much more powerful now. Trying her best to suppress her shaking, Mukuro followed her own orders and didn't look away as Atasu stopped in front of them and knelt before her.

"Well Mukuro, its certainly been a long time," he said amicably, but the malicious note in his voice couldn't be hidden. The dim light shadowed his glittering amber eyes, making them look even darker than normal.

Despite being extremely frightened by what was happening, Yukina couldn't help but notice the demon talking to them was rather attractive. In Human World he would have been called a samurai. The red tinted armor he wore looked harder than any metal she'd ever seen and reflected each of their faces. He was tall with fair features and long black hair. In a way she couldn't describe he reminded her of what she thought her brother's father was like.

"Not that I ever hoped we would meet again," Mukuro snapped in reply, jolting Yukina back to reality.

With a hurt look, Atasu shook his head. "It is most unfortunate we had to meet under circumstances such as these. If only this could have ended years ago. Unfortunately, my servant grew to like you and balked on his duties. Needless to say, he's no longer under my command."

Not aware of the battle that had taken place between Hiei and Khiva in the forest, this startled Mukuro. "I'm not afraid of you," she said venomously.

Atasu smiled slightly, making Mukuro tremble. "Don't tell me that Mukuro. All those guards that lay dead upstairs were put there for a purpose. You're terrified of me."

Yukina looked quickly from Atasu to Mukuro, desperately not wanting to believe him. All of her hope rested in the demon lord beside her. Despite being caught off guard by his perception, Mukuro didn't back down, and the hatred still blazed plainly in her eyes. The only strategy she had at this point was to keep firing questions in hopes Atasu would answer one, so she snapped:

"You plan to kill me in front of Hiei to enrage him."

He laughed out loud at that, a guttural sound that penetrated to her bones. "Wrong Mukuro. You were just bait to bring him here. I plan to kill Hiei in front of you…"

Before she could respond, there was a crash from some far portion of the chamber, and instantly Atasu vanished. At the same time, the torches on the walls went out, plunging them into complete darkness. Mukuro ignored Yukina leaning nervously against her arm and tried to keep herself from shaking. Though she couldn't see anything, she had enough power to sense energy, and it painted her a mental picture of what was happening. Atasu had gone back toward the entrance to the chamber, where he was about to encounter two other demons that she knew too well…

"_Stay low and be quick. Rely on perception and not sight. Get them out before you do anything else. Atasu doesn't care about you personally, but he won't hesitate to kill you anyway."_

The words that flew through Yusuke's mind did little to quell his anxiety, though the absolute tone Hiei used was slightly reassuring. If the fire demon didn't second-guess his plan Yusuke would just have to trust his judgement. They both knew there were more than just their lives on the line, and Yukina and Mukuro must be putting all their trust in them at the moment.

Hiei knelt and began to crawl along the wall, desperately calling to Mukuro in his mind. After a lengthy moment of silence he heard a voice that made his knees weaken

"_Hiei?"_

"_Are you alright?"_ he demanded, continuing to move forward and hearing Yusuke follow at a distance.

"_Yes," _she lied._ "Hiei be careful. Atasu's perception is uncanny,"_ she told him. _"He'll know what you're thinking almost as soon as you do."_

"_Is this mental connection safe?"_ he asked, looking around as he crouched against a wall. He suddenly felt very exposed. _"Mukuro?"_

But their connection broke. Swearing, Hiei jumped up and began to run toward where he had last sensed Mukuro's energy. Over and over he called to her in his mind but got no answer. Something was blocking them, and as soon as he realized that he was almost knocked off his feet.

In that next moment several things happened: Hiei fell heavily to the ground, drawing his sword as he did so; from somewhere behind him, Yusuke jumped into motion and sprinted past him; in another part of the chamber someone screamed; and behind them, the wooden door slammed shut. The same thought went through both their minds at the same time; they were trapped.

"So Hiei, we finally meet."

The voice seemed to resonate from every corner of the room so it was impossible to tell where it came from. Holding his katana tightly, the fire demon stood up. Until he could get a better idea where his opponent was it was best to keep him talking.

"Are you Atasu?" he asked. Yusuke bumped into his arm and he motioned to take the opposite direction so they could try to surround him. It was still completely dark. "Why are you hiding in the dark?" Hiei challenged.

Still bound to the wall, Mukuro shook her head. "Hiei, don't," she whispered.

Yukina's head had shot up. "It's Hiei," she breathed, and bit her tongue as Mukuro cuffed her for speaking.

"You understand nothing Hiei. I'm not hiding. This darkness is to spare you from seeing what this room really looks like. There is a pair of dead demons here that you would recognize. I'd hate to have you see that and lose the will to fight."

Yukina wanted to contradict him, but in a heart-wrenching moment she felt her breath catch in her throat and swallowed back the yell. Beside her, Mukuro felt the same.

Unknown to everyone but Hiei, Yusuke was stealing along the far wall of the chamber, every step bringing him closer to Mukuro and Yukina. He could sense them now and that the demons lord was extremely weak. Though his massive energy filled the chamber, Yusuke could sense Atasu most strongly near where he had left Hiei, but there was no way to warn the fire demon. He stopped just outside arm's length of Mukuro and waited for her to notice him.

The small flicker of her demon energy was enough, and he reached out, touching her arm. Mukuro froze, not wanting to move and rattle the chains around her wrists. Just barely touching her, Yusuke ran his fingertips up her arm until he felt the steel manacles. Then he leaned close to whisper in her ear.

"Hiei's on the other side of the chamber," he said. "Once I break these chains, you need to get to him. I'll take Yukina." Then, in an afterthought he added, "You're not strong enough to fight. Get out of the palace as fast as you can."

Before she could argue he stood up, and a well placed Spirit Gun shattered the chains around her wrists. Instantly there was a yell from the other side of the room as Atasu realized one of his prisoners was escaping, but Hiei chose this moment to jump into motion. His shout had given away his location to the fire demon. In a sweep he brought his sword around and heard it clang as it struck. The impact reverberated through the blade and echoed throughout the chamber, making Hiei wonder quickly what he had hit. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, because Atasu shot a quick blast of energy at him and he had to duck.

Petrified by the sudden burst of fighting, Yukina hung against the wall and almost screamed when Yusuke caught her arm. Anxiously the Spirit Detective pressed his hand to her mouth. "You need to get out of here now!" Yusuke said quickly. Without waiting for a response, he scooped her into his arms and began to sprint back along the wall.

"Yusuke what's going on?" Yukina begged, holding tighter to his shirt.

He didn't answer; the doorway was in sight now. With a backward glance over his shoulder to make sure Atasu was still distracted, Yusuke dropped Yukina on her feet, not waiting for her to steady herself before he started to close the door on her.

"Yusuke wait," she pleaded, tears slipping down her cheeks. "What's happening?"

"Go upstairs," he told her, in the harshest voice she'd ever heard him use. "Hiei can never beat Atasu while he's distracted by trying to protect someone else." Then he closed the door on her and smashed the handle.

"I'm sorry Yukina," Yusuke whispered. "This way you'll survive, at least."

In the middle of the room Hiei and Atasu were exchanging blows in the dark, the only indicators to their position the occasional fireballs that flew from Hiei's hands. Each one seemed to hit a certain point before it ricocheted away, and for a crazy moment Yusuke thought Atasu had a shield of some sort. Then he saw the metallic glint and understood; the demon had a sword just like Hiei and was using it to redirect the fire.

Both demons were so absorbed in the battle that Atasu didn't notice he was being approached from behind. It was impossible for Hiei to tell who it was; being so close to Atasu blocked out the weaker demon energies of everyone else. The darkness was impenetrable, and the mental effort of seeing with only his demon senses was starting to wear on Hiei.

A sudden flash of light temporarily blinded the fire demon, and he heard Atasu's shout of surprise. Seeing bright flares every time he blinked, Hiei dropped to his knees to avoid Atasu and his attacker's sporadic bursts of energy. One landed particularly close, knocking Hiei off balance. He landed in a pool of something at the same time there was a laugh of triumph and a yelp of surprise.

Immediately the torches flew to life, illuminating the area around them. Something in Hiei's stomach dropped and he swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. The floors were scattered with bones that he could only assume came from demons. Different shades of red were smeared across the floor, and Hiei realized in revulsion that what he'd fallen in had been blood. _Mukuro's blood._


	13. Shattered

_Previously: _

_Hiei realized in revulsion what he'd fallen in was blood. **Mukuro's blood.

* * *

**_

Chapter 13: "Shattered" 

"_Kuwabara, do you remember what you did in the battle with Toguro?"_

"_Then why don't we just kill Kuwabara again?" _

"_No he's maxed out; we're the untapped ones. We have the power, but not the strength of mind to reach it. He plans to bring it out."_

"_Only this time, he won't be faking." _

The demon lord was lying close by. 

Somewhere Atasu was laughing and Yusuke was yelling, but it all sounded so far off. Suddenly everything was falling into place in Hiei's mind. It had been Mukuro, not Yusuke, that had attacked Atasu from behind. Had this been the demon's plan the entire time? The strategy was obvious to Hiei but he didn't know what he could do. Mukuro was dead; he had no need to fight anymore. If Atasu killed him he would willing go to Spirit World with Botan.

Though this had also worked out well, Atasu was slightly disappointed. He had wanted things to go the opposite way and been able to kill Hiei first. Now the fire demon would either be enraged or lose all his fighting spirit, and Atasu was betting on the second. He frowned; this fight wouldn't last much longer.

"Hiei!" Yusuke shouted again, this time catching the fire demon's attention but wishing he hadn't. The look in Hiei's eyes scared him more than anything he'd ever seen. It was different even from the first time he'd fought him; this was a demon with no regard for anything but killing.

Ducking against the wall, there was nothing Yusuke could do but watch as Hiei threw himself headlong into the fight. The fire demon had little concept of friend or foe at this point, and Yusuke knew that if he got involved it was just as likely Hiei would turn on him. His side was throbbing warmly and the Spirit Detective felt blood beginning to soak into his shirt. In the flurry of the moment he hadn't realized he'd been hit. Anxiously he pressed his hand to his side to apply pressure to the wound and turned to watch the fight in front of him.

In a blind charge Hiei ran at Atasu, not remembering the demon's sword until the last minute, and he rolled to the side to avoid it. The red glint of his opponent's armor reflected in the katana in Hiei's hand, and in a rare moment of logical thought he realized he would have to get rid of it for his attacks to have any success. Looking closely, the fire demon noticed the ties beneath his arms and smiled slightly. He _could_ cut his armor off, or he could just smash Atasu's helmet in with his scabbard and crush his skull.

"What will you do?" Atasu asked mockingly, not yet noticing Hiei's change of mindset. "You don't have a clue do you? I'll take my armor off for you if you want."

"Don't," Hiei growled. "I'll have more fun bludgeoning your body inside it."

Yusuke shuddered, petrified by Hiei's words. With every fiber of his being the fire demon meant what he said. It seemed even for a moment that Atasu was caught off guard. "Big words Hiei," he said finally, clapping in praise. "I like a demon that can talk. If they all could fight as well as they talked this world wouldn't be such a rotting place with demon lords like your friend Mukuro."

He expected to get a violent reaction and was all the more surprised when Hiei just smirked at him. It was a dark smirk, making traces of doubt slip into the demon's mind for the first time. The change in his opponent's demeanor was starting to become apparent, and the situation was slowly slipping out of Atasu's dominance. The tables could turn in an instant, the demon lord realized, and he couldn't let that happen. He would have to finish the battle quickly before Hiei realized the new potential his anger unleashed.

"Come on Hiei," Atasu taunted, leaning casually on his sword but still obviously ready for a surprise. A plan was forming in his mind that featured his specialty. After all, they were in a torture chamber.

Glancing around, Atasu spotted what he was looking for near the wall farthest Hiei, and without any hesitance ran toward it, directly across the fire demon's path. Puzzled, Hiei watched him, though he wasn't foolish enough to let the demon lord reach his destination unscathed. Who knew what he was planning? A few small fires flared under his feet, causing Atasu to jump slightly but not lose face. Hiei wasn't willing to attack him until he knew what he was planning.

"Do you know where we are?" Atasu asked, staring at Hiei from across the chamber. Unknown to the fire demon, he slipped his hand into his sash and stashed the steel cuffs he had found.

"We're in a hellhole torture chamber," Hiei replied darkly, unable to keep the burn of sarcasm out of his voice. "Leave it to a demon like you to use a place like this."

Atasu laughed. "Petty insults? You sound like a demon weighing his options."

Swearing, Hiei didn't answer. Atasu was treading a very fine line, but while he was so far away there was nothing the fire demon could do. He was also reading the fire demon's emotions very well, perhaps the only one that could do so. It made him feel dangerously exposed. There was only one solution then; Hiei would just have to kill him. The answer was simple, but he knew the means would not be. Atasu had the upper hand at the moment and wouldn't give it up without a fight. There was already a certain amount of brutality to their battle, but it was nothing compared to the savagery necessary to end it for good. Just killing the other would satisfy neither demon.

Folding his arms, Atasu called to Hiei, "Won't you come over here? It's easier to have a discussion when both parties aren't shouting across the chamber at each other."

"Go to hell," Hiei shot back, not willing for a moment to comply with the demon lord's demands.

With a small shrug Atasu said, mostly to himself, "That's okay. I'll just go there."

In a flash he was gone, appearing by Hiei's side just as the fire demon jumped out of the way. The steel hidden in Atasu's sash rattled ominously, but Hiei didn't notice. All his concentration was on keeping his distance, though he was not eager to test Atasu's speed. It just might match his own. Going along with it, Atasu made sure to gradually increase his pace so, though it appeared to Hiei they were moving the same speed, he was always a little bit faster as to wear the fire demon down.

It took a long time, but Atasu's plan was finally successful as Hiei misjudged a distance and Atasu nearly landed on top of him. Pinning the fire demon to the ground, the demon lord didn't hesitate as he fitted the cuffs he had found to Hiei's wrists. They were like a cross between handcuffs and a thumbscrew, with the ability to be drilled into the veins on the underside of the wrist. Just the thought made Atasu shudder.

"Are you going to kill me?" Hiei asked mockingly. Atasu ignored him, knowing a response was exactly what the fire demon wanted, and continued to tighten the cuffs around his wrists. "I don't think you're going to kill me," Hiei continued. "I don't think you have the nerve."

"You don't?" Atasu questioned mildly, giving the cuffs a final tug with a smile of satisfaction. "That is where you are mistaken my friend."

The demon lord's smooth talking when it was obvious –-to Hiei at least—that he was at the disadvantage made the fire demon's blood boil. As Atasu studied him from a distance, as though contemplating the best way to carve him, Hiei felt himself starting to shake with anger and allowed it to swell. How stupidly presumptuous of Atasu to think this would subdue him! The metal bonds around his wrists and neck seemed to soften as his body temperature continued to soar, fueled by his anger, until Hiei felt something begin to drip down the side of his hand like hot wax.

"What will you do now?" the fire demon asked, landing on his feet with the molten steel pooling beneath him.

Too stunned to even swear, Atasu stared in disbelief at Hiei, a new sense of fear gripping him. The fiery anger blazing in the fire demon's eyes was only a small reflection of the anger surging inside him. To melt the bonds his body temperature must have soared to at least that of a furnace. Even from a distance there was no mistaking the heat radiating from him.

Hiei knelt down and scooped some of the liquid metal into his hand, frowning as it ran through his fingers. "Well that won't do." For the first time he had a practical reason to rein in his anger, and gradually the astounding heat emanating from his body began to fade. In his cooler hand the steel began to harden again so it was malleable but still solid. This brought a smile to the fire demon's face.

"What are you doing?" Atasu asked with a mixture of anxiety and incredulity. Briefly he wondered if the extreme heat had fried the fire demon's brain.

In a blinding motion Hiei was alongside the demon lord, pining him to the wall despite his smaller size. In a panic, Atasu felt a searing heat against his neck as Hiei's temperature began to surge once again, and the metal in the fire demon's hand was just barely caught between a liquid and solid form. There was nothing Atasu could do, and his piercing scream as Hiei molded the steel around his neck make Yusuke's heart jolt. Then, just as quickly as their temperature had risen, the fire demon cooled his hands, hardening the metal into a collar around Atasu's burned neck.

"In Human World," Hiei whispered dangerously, "this is considered too barbaric, though I'm sure it's quite acceptable by Demon World standards. You probably know what's going to happen next."

The collar was too tightly placed for Atasu to speak, though the fear in his eyes answered clearly enough. Still standing petrified against the wall, Yusuke felt his heart pounding in his dry throat. It would be a deadly understatement to say Hiei wasn't scaring him. He was afraid the fire demon had lost all sense of reason, and once he was done with Atasu he would turn on the next person he saw.

"So how do you want this to end?" Hiei asked. "I could make it easy and just snap your neck, but I don't really like that as much as letting you suffocate."

Still with an ounce of bravery, Atasu kicked the fire demon's shin, making Hiei swear and jump backward. Fire blazed in the small demon's eyes. Knowing he had just signed his death sentence, Atasu spit at him but missed, much to his disappointment. Coming closer again, Hiei slapped him as hard as he could, causing a red spot to appear almost instantly.

"Your first mistake was to threaten me," Hiei growled. "Your second was to think you could win this fight. What you did to Mukuro is unforgivable." He made to turn away, only to spin around and throw all his weight against Atasu's body, sending the demon crashing against the wall. The steel around his neck rang from the impact, and Hiei would have sworn he heard his neck snap.

"Is he dead?" Yusuke asked nervously, taking a staggering step closer.

Hiei didn't answer, and in a swift stroke he cut Atasu's head off. Breathing heavily, the fire demon watched the blood trickle from his enemy's severed neck. It wasn't enough. Temporarily blinded by a flash of anger, he stabbed and slashed at the demon's body, carving it into pieces. With a lurch Yusuke felt the meager contents of his stomach come up, and he retched. Hiei ignored him. What he wanted know was to see Atasu bleed.

"Hiei stop it! That won't bring her back!" Yusuke shouted.

With a grief-stricken howl the fire demon sank to his knees, catching himself on his sword. His body trembled with the force of his raking breaths. A new feeling of disgust filled Yusuke as he realized his companion's cuts hadn't been random. He'd carved out Atasu's heart.

"Hiei, please, look at your-AAH!" The Spirit Detective jumped back as Hiei swung at him, forcing him back. Startled but not put off, he tried again. "Yukina's upstairs, we can have her look…"

"Do you not understand?" Hiei snapped. "She's dead Yusuke. _Dead_. Does death not seem real to you since you've avoided it all this time?"

There was nothing he could say to that. Smart enough this time not to stop him, Yusuke let Hiei pass as he crossed over to where Mukuro's body lay. The fire demon knelt beside her, fumbling with something Yusuke couldn't see. Despite his wounds and her size Hiei picked her up bridal-style and began to walk toward the door. Not seeing anything else he could do, Yusuke followed at a distance, wincing as Hiei blasted open the door. This would probably be the last time he would see Hiei. The fire demon would disappear into shadow and eventually become a legend to everyone but the few that knew the truth.

When he finally managed to clamber up the stairs the trapdoor was waiting to be put back in place. Next to it Yusuke saw a padlock, and he understood. The door was never to be opened again. Doing as he knew Hiei wished, Yusuke looked around, and his gaze fell on the futon in the center of the room. Almost sure of what he was going to see, the Spirit Detective hesitated before going over.

Mukuro's body had been set gracefully on the futon. Beside her, Yusuke recognized Hiei's sword, splattered with what he knew to be the fire demon's blood that he had spilt in tribute. The sight made his heart heavy, and just before he turned away something bright caught the Spirit Detective's eye; hanging around her neck was the tear gem that Hiei always wore. Looking closer, Yusuke saw it was lined with bold white cracks. It had shattered.

* * *


	14. The Black Gates

_Disclaimer: I don't own YYH, and the quote in the last line is from T.S. Elliot.

* * *

_

**Chapter 14: "The Black Gates"**

Something in his subconscious told him the forest was flying by in a blur, but nothing else in his brain processed where he was or where he was going. His body was numb, obeying a set of primitive impulses that permitted its owner's mind to otherwise completely shut down. Disassociation, it was called. Mentally, he had vacated his body almost immediately after leaving the palace. It allowed him to sidestep the grief and guilt that would otherwise have filled his normally cold heart. When he disassociated it was as though he was merely a narrator watching the scene before him from a third-person view instead of through his own eyes.

There was a legend in Demon World that if you ran to the end of the earth you would come to the gates of Hell. Well that was where he was going. He was NOT going back to Human World with Yusuke, or to Spirit World where Koenma waited. The prince would almost certainly want to hear an account of what had happened in the palace, which he would have to find from someone else. Hiei would make sure Yusuke was the only survivor.

Never did he actually think he would come to the 'End of the World,' so to speak. The fire demon had counted on passing out from shock and exhaustion long before he came to such a place, if indeed one did exist. It was all the more surprising then, almost enough to startle his brain back into functioning, when he spotted a dark place on the horizon. The infamous 'Gates of Hell' were only supposed to be a legend. Theoretically demons used to stray through the gates by accident, where they were captured and tortured until they died, at which time they would descend to Hell. As it became feared it turned more to a haven for demons that had given up on life and sought a quick end. In reality very few actually believed the stories. Still, no one was foolish enough to try and find it to prove the legend. Normally Hiei would have been the one to enter and fight his way to return, in essence beating death, but not this time.

As he drew closer there was no mistaking what he had found. It seemed the gates materialized out of the dark surroundings, pale and shining, enough to strike fear into any normal demon. Standing by the gate was a bat demon with a spear, though his image was faint, as though he was already dead himself. Wisps of cobweb and dust hung from his wings, giving him a falsely frail appearance. It was a deception, for the aura he was emitting was an eerie one full of power. In his state though, Hiei knew nothing of fear, or of regret, so he approached without hesitating or looking back.

The demon at the gate snorted to suppress a laugh. "I never thought I'd see you here Hiei…"

* * *

At the palace, Yusuke was sitting in the middle of Mukuro's chamber, face in his hands, numb with shock as the enormity of what had taken place began to seep past his defenses. Mukuro was dead, Hiei was gone… the Spirit Detective blinked and lifted his head, looking around the room in urgency. He knew he hadn't been able to shake the feeling they were missing something. Where had Yukina gone? He remembered pushing her through the door in the flurry of battle and… The rest of his memory was fogged by pain and grief.

"Yusuke, you stupid moron," he scolded himself, pushing himself to his feet. He should have known never to have left her alone. Or remembered and thought to look for her earlier… He swore loudly. Hiei would kill him.

But…Yusuke slowed his pace until he was standing on the outer walkway of the palace, looking out into the forest. _Was Hiei really coming back?_ As far as the Spirit Detective knew, the only reason Hiei had remained in Demon World was for Mukuro, and now she was gone… Yukina would not be enough to keep him, not when he had told her goodbye for the last time before he even left for Demon World. Even then he had planned never to tell her, and to do so now in hopes it would bring the fire demon back would be disastrous. There was no doubt the Ice Maiden would take her brother's disappearance very hard, even if she didn't know the truth.

_The fire demon would disappear into shadow and eventually become a legend…_

If Yusuke hadn't been so out of sorts with shock he would have noticed the oar against the wall and its owner leaning on it, tears in her lavender eyes. The Spirit Detective had nearly passed her when Botan reached out and touched his arm, causing him to jump and spin around with his hand already in Spirit Gun firing position. For a second they remained that way until Yusuke blinked and lowered his hand, rubbing his eyes with the other.

"I'm sorry Botan," he murmured. "I'm just…"

"Afraid?" the Grim Reaper prodded gently, an understanding look in her eyes.

Yusuke sighed and leaned against the wall with his forehead pressed to the cool stone. "I suppose since you're here it means there's no hope for Mukuro."

Botan noted the respect in Yusuke's voice when he said the demon lord's name, and it made her heart clench. "No," she said softly. "She was dead from the moment she was hit. I'm sorry…" She could only watch painfully as Yusuke smashed his hand against the wall in frustration.

"I should have done something!" he said angrily, his voice dangerously close to snapping. "I could have saved her. I could have saved both of them!"

There was nothing she could say. Botan had a vague idea of what had happened in the palace, but she was sure it paled compared to the horrors the Spirit Detective had actually experienced down there. The fact that Yusuke was standing in front of her so stressed and dazed after a battle was proof enough, and it scared her. She also knew she would have to tell Yusuke the truth eventually; she had come for more than Mukuro's soul. The rest of the story needed to be told.

"Yusuke?" she said softly. The Spirit Detective looked up, his expression making her next words catch in her throat and causing her to pause for a moment to sort them out. "Koenma also sent me to bring you back to Spirit World. He needs to hear firsthand what happened."

"I'm not going," the Spirit Detective said immediately, and he was surprised when Botan didn't seem angry. "I'm not telling Koenma what happened in there." Watching the blue-haired messenger, he half expected her to grab him by the ear and drag him behind her oar up to Spirit World. But she didn't. He at least expected her to look mad. But she didn't. Finally unable to take it, Yusuke demanded, "Aren't you going to force me?"

"No," Botan replied simply. "I agree with you on this one. What happened down there was awful. But I would have thought at least that you would want to see Yukina and help comfort her, since her brother won't be able to." She said this last part sadly, but Yusuke didn't notice.

"Yukina's in Spirit World?" the teenager asked in surprise.

Botan nodded. "I took her back along with Mukuro's spirit." There was no more beating around the bush, the messenger told herself firmly. If she didn't tell him now, Yusuke would figure it out on his own sooner or later. "That's not why I'm here now," she said in response to Yusuke's puzzled look, meaning he had also figured out that something was amiss. "There's something you need to know Yusuke. Something about Hiei."

_----_

"_Botan, you have an assignment," Koenma told her in an exhausted voice as he consulted the new file that had been placed on his desk. He hated to ask her to do this, especially after what had happened. Between the two of them, their nerves were shot, and their minds were teetering dangerously on the same brink._

"_But, I've just done Mukuro!" she protested, just as expected._

_With a sigh, Koenma closed the file and stamped the outside with his seal. Passing it to her, the prince saw her eyes widen in surprise and the lavender orbs fill with tears. "You need to do this one, Botan. Please."_

* * *

Once the gates of Hell closed, you were trapped forever. Hiei knew this, but when the doors clanged shut and snapped locked behind him, he was not afraid. Though he could not see, he knew there were bones and even darker remains of demons all around him, but he was untroubled. Why should you fear what you cannot see? The darkness hanging around him like mist did not unnerve him as it had so many demons before. After all, the fire demon had been facing Hell all his life. To him, this darkness was welcome.

Without being able to explain how, Hiei knew he was being followed. Small scavenger demons scuttled around his feet and every once-in-a-while he would hear a crunch as his foot crushed a tiny skeleton. These weren't what he felt, however. There was a bigger presence that seemed to fill the entire room, and he could feel it closing in on him. When it reached him, he would die, there was no doubt. But for now his demon energy kept the smothering presence at bay and the fire demon continued to walk further and further down the path of no return.

The fire demon didn't know it at the time, but it was also the path of memories.

"_Hina had twins, and one of them is a boy!"_

"_I'm looking for a demon named Shigure. I was told he could give me a Jagan implant."_

"_Countless centuries. Countless masters trying to harness the power of the darkness flame. Only I had the strength, the courage and the abandon to realize its glorious potential." _

"_So why don't we just kill Kuwabara again?"_

"_Fate's for the fools, and we were fools this time. We thought we could beat another arrogant enemy. We were arrogant this time. I hate being underestimated, but underestimating is even worse."_

"_Damn you Mukuro, can't you see? I love you!"_

"_I like a demon that can talk. If they all could fight as well as they talked this world wouldn't be such a rotting place with demon lords like your friend Mukuro."_

The last voice froze him. That familiar tone, so condescending, and hard as diamonds… Something in Hiei's mind vaguely registered this, and he felt the haze that hung over his consciousness slowly beginning to clear. A crack was carved in his defenses, allowing a small trickle of emotions to flow back into his heart, and with each new feeling the crack widened, into a rift, and finally to a fissure that allowed everything to come pouring back in a flood. He could feel his heart sinking under the weight of the newfound grief. _He could feel…?_ His mental awareness was returning to him…

"What's happening?" Hiei whispered to himself, sinking to his knees in the dismally dark passageway. He barely remembered tripping and falling in blood in his battle with Atasu. Though he didn't specifically think of it, something in his mind told him it had been Mukuro's blood. His memory was blank. And then…

_And then…?_

"Some say it's a defense mechanism."

The new voice sent the fire demon scrambling to his feet, his hand already closing around the sword at his side. The echoes of the words continued to ring in his ears for a moment longer, thoroughly disorienting his still-clouded mind. This voice was not like the others; it had a human quality to it, even more so than Hiei's did as he called out in an unsteady voice, "Who are you?"

He would have sworn the voice sounded amused as it replied, "I am you."

"Don't speak in riddles to me!" Hiei snapped. If he had been any saner, he would have realized how stupid this conversation must seem to anyone else who could possibly have heard it. But in his present state, the fire demon didn't care that he was talking to a disembodied voice that, for all he knew, could be a figment of his imagination as a result of shock.

It was as though someone was reading his mind (or what his mind would have been thinking, had it been functioning at the time), because the only reply was merely, "This is pointless." This time the fire demon was sure the voice was closer, though with the echo it was almost impossible to tell. Without realizing he was doing so, Hiei backed himself against the cold walls of the passageway, subconsciously knowing he was safest if he couldn't be caught from behind. A trembling, sweaty hand tightened around the sword hanging at his side.

"Don't act so afraid," Hiei was told by whoever had been talking to him all this time. "I don't plan to hurt you. At least, if you can prevent it."

"_I'm_ afraid?" Hiei snapped. "Who's the one who has to hide in the darkness?"

"I see your point. Forgive me."

It happened suddenly. At first Hiei thought he heard something moving off to his right, causing him to divert his attention that direction; the next moment, the wind had been forced out of him, knocking the demon off balance. It startled him more than it hurt, but either way the fire demon was on his knees. For the first time, Hiei felt a pang of real fear shoot through his stomach.

"Do you see me?" the other demon asked. In a flash, Hiei realized the other was standing barely two feet in front of him, his presence completely hidden in the darkness. All except for an eye.

_Wait…an eye?_

The purple eye stared at him, its gaze penetrating and oddly familiar. Starting to believe he was hallucinating again, Hiei blinked as another eye appeared, also staring him down. For a moment, the feeling of fear resting in the pit of his stomach was eclipsed by a feeling of curiosity. What kind of creature was this? Another eye appeared and blinked at him. Then, a yellow-white flame ignited somewhere near Hiei's left ear, searing his eyes and temporarily blinding him. Head throbbing, he reeled backward and fell against the wall.

As the unexpected light subsided and the bright stars dancing before his eyes faded slightly, Hiei found himself staring at a demon that was much too familiar. Though it had been ages since he had adopted the form, the fire demon still remembered his transformation perfectly; the enhanced sense of power, of agility and prowess, that surged through his body; an ability to see his opponents' moves before they could make them; but mostly the blinding speed at which he could execute movements and attacks that left his enemies stunned. To see it now, this time as the victim reflecting in those purple eyes, was enough to stun him.

"You seem surprised," the Jaganshi commented dryly. "Like I said, I am you. Or, should I say, who you would have become had you not stooped to being manipulated as Spirit World's pet."

"You mean… I… that's…" the ability to form words was lost to the fire demon. This had to be some kind of illusion, or dream. Even as he hoped that would prove true, Hiei knew it was not.

The demon in front of him, apart from looking physically frightening (he had green skin, after all!), also emitted an aura of supreme confidence and power that was much more intimidating. Briefly the fire demon wondered if he'd had the same effect when he took this form. To be blunt, the cumulative affect was repulsive. "How did Yusuke stand to fight me, much less even look at me?" Hiei wondered with a humorless smirk.

The smile was not lost on the Jaganshi, who did not take lightly to being laughed at. His eyes narrowed, and the muscles in his right arm rippled dangerously, drawing Hiei's eyes there. Somehow after everything else he had seen it didn't surprise him to see his dragon tattooed on the other demon's arm.

"What are you doing?" Hiei asked nervously, instinctively taking a step back as the demon took one toward him. Great move, now he'd made it mad.

"I don't think you quite understand the magnitude of your predicament," the Jaganshi snarled. "I'm here to judge you."

"Judge me?" Hiei questioned, though he couldn't come up with a sharp retort because he found himself cornered. "I would back off if I were you," he growled, his voice taking on the dark note he had once been famous for. Instinctively the fire demon reached up and began to untie the bandage around his arm.

"You can try that," the other demon said with traces of a laugh, "but I think you'll be disappointed. You see, I'm you, remember? You are merely a soul waiting at the gates of hell."

Feeling the desperate need to argue, Hiei tore away the rest of his bandage, only to stop cold when his eyes took in the lack of any black markings on his arm. "My dragon!" the fire demon gasped, touching his arm in disbelief.

As a last effort, Hiei tried to push his way into the other demon's mind, only to meet the strongest resistance he had ever faced. It pushed him back, even closer to the wall. Meanwhile, the Jaganshi continued to advance, the many eyes on his body open and scouring the fire demon with a pale purple light. Anxiously Hiei reached up and tugged away his headband, only to realize in the single most horrifying moment of his life that the third eye he had once possessed was gone. There wasn't even a scar, almost as though he had never had it implanted all those years ago.

"I am you," the Jaganshi repeated, and finally Hiei believed him. "And I'm here to judge you."

* * *

"Something about Hiei?" Yusuke repeated, turning away from the wall to look Botan in the eye. "Don't tell me you know where he is."

Surprisingly for Yusuke, a tear rolled down Botan's cheek as she nodded her head slightly, unable to do anything else in acknowledgement.

"Well let's go then!" the Spirit Detective said assertively, his voice jarring her. "We have to find him before something else happens!" Filled with a new determination, he was about to jump out the window into the forest when he met Botan's eyes, and the desperate look in them immobilized him. "What's wrong?" Yusuke asked nervously. "There's something you're not telling me…"

"Yes," Botan sobbed, unable to stop herself from crying now that the first tears had broken.

"What is it?" Yusuke demanded. He took a few steps closer to her, his heart thudding nervously in his throat. Something had gone wrong, he could sense it. "Answer me!" the teenager shouted, his already-fried nerves being pulled to a breaking point by Botan's ominous silence. In a blinding surge of frustration he pushed the messenger against the wall, practically standing over her. "What the hell's happened Botan?"

"…Hiei's…dead, Yusuke."

It felt like someone had shot him.

"Dead?" Yusuke repeated weakly. The floor swam slightly before his eyes and he collapsed against the wall, feeling as though his legs had turned to lead and his head was underwater. "He can't be dead. He wouldn't just die. Never. Not Hiei. Hiei would never let himself be killed like that."

He was rambling, but Botan didn't interrupt. When the Spirit Detective found himself at a loss for words and fell silent, she moved beside him and rested her hand on his arm. It stung her to feel him trembling.

"Yusuke, Hiei wasn't killed," Botan said gently. There was no obvious change in the teenager's expression despite meeting her eyes, and the Grim Reaper wasn't sure if her words had registered with him. "He…he walked through the Gates of Hell. I took him to Spirit World myself."

_----_

_It seemed surreal as she landed on Demon World soil for the second time that night. The chaotic atmosphere that had been present when she'd picked up Mukuro and Yukina was starting to subside slightly, though the sky still remained a turbulent purple color. At least it had faded some; when she had come earlier it had been red, the color of blood… _

_Just as Koenma had told her, waiting on the plains was a demon that Botan recognized even from a distance. A swirling cloak, the familiar spiky black hair, his confident posture despite his short stature; she knew it all too well. _

"_Hiei?" Botan murmured, feeling her voice tremble in the demon's presence._

"_So he sent you," Hiei said, as though the sight of her didn't upset him in the slightest. "I almost wish he hadn't."_

"_Why?" she asked, though it was more out of obligation than actual curiosity. Hiei was bound to tell her whether she asked or not._

_It looked as though the fire demon considered answering for a moment, though apparently he thought better of it and shook his head. "I don't have to explain myself to you," he growled._

"_Fine," the messenger replied weakly. Then, unable to restrain herself any longer, she asked, "Why? Why did you do it?" Her voice trembled, but it continued to rise. "How could you let it end this way? Why, Hiei?"_

_She was shouting at him, Hiei noticed angrily, and he bit his tongue to keep silent. There was no way she could understand. She was the Grim Reaper for hell's sake! "You can't possibly understand. You're immortal."_

"_So death was your escape?" Botan snapped. "You were too cowardly to face it and took the easy out. Is that right?"_

"_Who are you to judge?" Hiei shouted back, his blood boiling from her words._

"_You don't think I understand?" Botan screamed incredulously. "All you demons, you seem to think death is the end of everything. I watch all of you die, and I take you to Hell where you belong. Everyone seems to think; 'Oh Botan doesn't care, she's immune,' but I do feel pain at losing people I care about. But what can I do?" she asked quietly. "Because death isn't an escape for me."_

_Her words rendered Hiei speechless, caught like a fish out of water. "Get on," Botan said with a sigh, mounting her oar. Silently, the fire demon did as he was told._

* * *

"_Fight me."_

It was another memory, a trick created by his mind. He was hanging on the brink of a nervous breakdown; this was to be expected. After all, how many times had he heard those words before?

"Fight me," his shadow repeated, and this time Hiei finally realized he was being addressed.

The Jaganshi drew the sword at his hip, a cruel mockery of the one Hiei carried. The blade curved sharply, its end coming to two points like the forked tongue of a snake. _Or a dragon,_ Hiei thought. There was no mark of loyalty on this sword. It, just like its wielder, was a free spirit that took orders from and allied with no one. Was this the demon he would have become?

"Why don't you draw?" the other demon asked in confusion.

"Just kill me." The words came out in a whisper. Looking down, the Jaganshi frowned at the pathetic demon at his feet. Though the fire demon wouldn't meet his eyes as he pleaded —Hiei found he couldn't bring himself to do it— the sight still disgusted the seasoned warrior. And this demon was supposed to be his other?

"Stand and fight!" the demon ordered harshly, but Hiei made no move to obey. "If you defeat me, you will have a second attempt at life."

"No," Hiei repeated weakly. He didn't want a second chance. He didn't deserve one.

"Fine," the Jaganshi snarled. "You obviously don't deserve the opportunity." Slowly he drew his sword, as though the sound of the blade scraping against the inside of the scabbard could scare Hiei into fighting.

_So this is how the world ends; not with a bang, but with a whimper. _

* * *

So there you go (dodges everyone's violent throwing of tomatoes because she killed off her characters) Just wait, the next (last) chapter will make everything ok. I promise. 


	15. The Rulers Reborn

Chapter 15 (Epilogue): "The Rulers Reborn"

"Is this it? I'm disappointed."

Unable to believe her ears, Botan stared at the fire demon that was dismounting her oar so calmly. Sometimes she couldn't believe Hiei's bluntness.

"Everyone speaks of Hell like it's this horrible place," the fire demon continued in explanation. "I've seen so many demons that plead to spare them from death so that they can avoid this 'dreaded' place. I had higher expectations for a land full of demons and sinners."

"Sounds like your type of place," Botan muttered dryly.

"Which is why I'm disappointed."

"Of course."

---------

The shiny floors and strange hush of the palace reminded Yusuke of a hospital, a place that he had spent increasing amounts of time in since becoming Spirit Detective. Despite the years, he had never been able to shake the chill that such atmospheres created: as though someone had died. He supposed that in King Enma's palace the feeling was a permanent feature, along with the eerie statues and unnatural stillness that masked the flurry of movement beyond the palace walls.

Several members of Spirit World's elite defense force were bringing the ex-Spirit Detective to the palace of King Enma against his will. Not long after Botan had told him the details of Hiei's death, the soldiers had arrived, demanding that Yusuke come with them. At first he had refused and had even punched one of the operatives out cold before he could be restrained. Botan had been allowed to go free, since she had shown no resistance, but the messenger insisted on remaining by Yusuke's side for as long as she was permitted, which the teenager appreciated.

Suddenly they were in a place that Yusuke recognized from his brief time in Spirit World. Ahead of the group was a large pair of doors, which he knew led to Koenma's large workspace. Brought to a forced halt by the cuffs around his hands, Yusuke was held stiffly while one of the soldiers approached the doors. Another turned to Botan.

"It's time for you to go," he told her in a dismissive tone, but the blue-haired messenger held her ground.

"Koenma is my boss," she snapped, "and he is the one that dismisses me."

The defiance she showed helped strengthen Yusuke's resolve. The guard that Botan had smarted off to looked stunned for a moment, but he shook his head with a growl and shoved them both forward through the opening doors.

The scene that met their eyes was chaotic. Countless ogre messengers scrambled around the crowded room, dodging their counterparts and the many armed guards that had been stationed throughout the palace. Security had been visibly heightened after the catastrophic invasion of Atasu's demon messenger a few days before. The news of what had taken place in Demon World had obviously spread through the palace at record speed, because Yusuke noticed he was being stared at much more than usual, even by those that knew him.

"This is a disaster," a familiar voice said over the noise of the room, and Yusuke spun around as far as his restraints would allow. "That will do," Koenma said to the members of his defense force, who seemed to melt away.

Rubbing the circulation back into his wrists, the former Spirit Detective took a close look at the prince of Spirit World. Koenma was wearing his teenage form, which gave him at least a semblance of authority. It was obvious he was trying to appear calm, though the way his shoulders slumped and the weary look in his eyes betrayed him. He probably hadn't slept soundly since the beginning of the Atasu incident. A small amount of pity had manifested itself in Yusuke's mind as he looked at the prince, but then he remembered why he was there and it vanished.

"What do you want from me Koenma?" Yusuke demanded.

The prince of Spirit World couldn't even bring himself to snap about the teenager's attitude. "I want to know—no, I need to know what happened in Mukuro's palace. But first," the way his posture drooped made Yusuke suspect he was actually sincere, "I want to apologize for my department's poor handling of this case. It's been a nightmare. If we had been better prepared you wouldn't have had to face many of the things you did."

"You have no idea what I faced," Yusuke growled.

"I'm sorry I don't understand, but you won't tell my anything!" Koenma protested in exasperation.

"Don't apologize to me," the Spirit Detective said coldly. "Apologize to Mukuro and Hiei. They're the ones that didn't make it because of your incompetence!"

The words seemed to drain any remaining composure Koenma had. The prince sank weakly back onto a desk, eyes shadowed by a hand. The display of weakness sickened Yusuke.

"I know that this has been hard for you Yusuke," Koenma said finally. "I also know that Spirit World has made a huge mess of things. My father will have me exiled for this, I'm almost sure of it." He sighed, then continued in a softer voice. "I'm not going to pretend like I can understand what you experienced in Demon World, because as you said, I don't know what you faced. I just want the facts Yusuke. Please."

He had told Botan that he had no intention of retelling his story for Koenma's court, but as the prince spoke Yusuke realized he had changed his mind. He wouldn't allow Spirit World to distort the details of the story for its own benefit. Hiei would have been disgusted if he had heard what they had cooked up at the palace to cover his death. Yusuke owned the fire demon more than that.

"You can loosen up," the teenager told Koenma, a small trace of disgust in his voice. "Hiei didn't die from any fault of yours. So you can sleep easy; your ass isn't in trouble for that, at least."

Perhaps it was his imagination, but Yusuke thought he saw Koenma relax visibly. As he continued the story, however, the prince sat up, tension displayed in his posture. The weary look his eyes deepened, and he even winced as Yusuke described exactly what had taken place in the dungeons. Aided in part by Botan, the ex-Spirit Detective explained what had happened after the battle, how he had sealed the trapdoor to the dungeons and almost passed out before trying to find Yukina and running into Botan on the palace's outer walkway. Their return to Spirit World was told with as much malice and hatred as he could manage, and the story concluded with their entry to the palace.

"I…I had no idea," the prince whispered. He looked up at Yusuke and Botan. "But you still haven't explained why Hiei died."

"But you know, you read the file," Botan stammered. "He walked through the Gates…"

"Yes he did, and that is how he died." Looking up at Yusuke, Koenma said, "I want to know _why_ he died."

The Spirit Detective smiled slightly. "Because he wanted to."

---------

The sands of her new domain swirled in the wind, shifting the dunes like waves. A demon lord even in death, she'd already staked her claim to the desert lands. Anyone that thought the devil possessed a land of fire and lava was extremely disillusioned. Hell didn't look that different from Demon World, surprisingly. It was faintly ironic.

"So you're finally dead," Mukuro commented as the warrior crested the dune she stood on. "It must have been a powerful demon that did you in."

The greeting wasn't anything more than the fire demon expected. "He was," Hiei replied, recalling how fearsome his other self had been—how _he_ could have been, had his life been only a fraction different.

"I see you've already established control around here," the fire demon observed, glancing around them at the wide-open desert.

"Of course," the demon lord replied. "If we're going to rule this land we need a center of operations."

"The rulers of Hell," Hiei murmured, then smirked as his eyes lit up. "I think I could get used to that."

The End 

---------

When I first started the story, I didn't plan for it to go this way, but I'm pleased with the outcome, and I hope everybody else is too. For everyone that stuck with it, thanks for reading!

---QatariPenguin


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